


Nothing But The Truth

by Brazendale



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris, True Blood
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-04 15:57:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/712481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brazendale/pseuds/Brazendale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sookie finally learns the truth about Bill after an amazing journey of discovery.</p><p>Thanks to AB, HBO & C Harris who without their vision none of the characters would be here today. I do not own any of the True Blood characters and I  will hand them back to their capable hands when finished.</p><p>The character of William Compton UK is mine alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sookie tried opening her eyes. The bright light instantly made her head hurt and she closed them again. Her whole body was hurting for that matter. Just breathing was an effort. Her lips were dry and cracked and her mouth felt fuzzy. She tried to move but found the shooting pain too unbearable and a wave of dizziness spun her head like an amusement park ride. She tried moving her left arm but something was attached to it making only minimum movement possible. Sookie groaned softly and instantly a soft sweet voice shushed her. A cool hand stroked away the pillow hair that had streaked across her face. ‘It’s all right; it’s all going to be all right. I’m here’ the beloved gentle voice softly spoke.

Sookie’s eyes flew open despite the discomfort this caused. ‘Gran, is that you Gran?’ she feebly croaked, ‘am I dead Gran?’ ‘Very nearly dear one, it was a close call but you are going to be all right now,’ Gran responded tears misting her eyes. ‘Gran where am I, what happened?’ ‘You were in a car accident Sookie and you nearly died. You have been unconscious for over two weeks now. We thought we were going to lose you. Tell me child, do you remember anything, anything at all that happened that night?’ Gran said. ‘Bill, where’s Bill. I want Bill,’ Sookie said becoming agitated. At that moment a nurse came in and seeing Sookie awake but upset, she made some adjustments to the drip in her arm. Sookie sank back into a peaceful sleep almost immediately. 

The next time Sookie woke the light in the room was dim, day giving way to sundown. Turning her head only slightly she saw Adele sitting in the bed side chair reading one of her beloved romantic novels, the kind that always have a happy ever after ending for the heroine after many trials and tribulations. A small shadow of a smile twitched at the corners of Sookies mouth, now she new that she was definitely alive and so was Adele. Reaching slowly across, Sookie patted her hand. Adele, looking up from her book smiled the same sweet smile that Sookie had always known. ‘You’re back with us finally. The nurse said that it would be a while before you would sleep off the morphine they gave you. Sookie, before you say anything, you were hurt in the car accident so you need to take things very slowly, no more getting upset promise me.’ she said.

Weakly Sookie nodded as it was about all she could do at the moment. Carefully taking inventory Sookie went over all her body parts testing to see what worked and what didn’t. She found that as a whole everything was intact and in general working order, sort of, but extremely sore with little hot pokers of shooting pain dancing randomly through her when attempting to move. Her neck was painful where a large bandage covered a deep wound and she could feel stitches pulling when she moved her left thigh. Her head was the worst; she had a constant ache like a toothache amplified a thousand times, sudden movement not being an option at the moment. 

‘Gran what happened?’ Sookie said as she tried to get into a more comfortable position. ‘Well dear, you were coming back from the real estate convention in Shreveport and were almost home when it was the oddest thing….from what we were told, you are just so lucky to be alive child. If it hadn’t have been for our neighbour I don’t know what would have happened. Really I blame that low account trailer trash the Rattrays for it,’ Adele said not making anything much clearer for Sookie. ‘The Rattrays?’ Sookie exclaimed, something in the back of her head registering a vague memory. ‘Why yes dear that’s what he said, they were swerving all over the road’ she added. ‘Gran who said, I don’t know who you are talking about?’ Sookie questioned. ‘Why if he hadn’t have stopped….’ but at that moment there was gentle knocking on the door and Sookie saw Adele’s face light up like a lantern as a head tentatively peeped around the door way. ‘Well, speak of the devil’ she said beaming as a figure entered the room. ‘Sookie this is the young man I was speaking of, our new neighbour. You two haven’t been formally introduced,’ she laughed. ‘Sookie I want you to meet the man that saved your life’. 

Looking over she couldn’t quite see past the open door until the visitor was no more than a foot away. Looking up she let out a deep breath as she exclaimed ‘Bill!’ ‘Please, call me William Miss Stackhouse, and it is very good to see you awake. You certainly had me worried for a while’ he said smiling. ‘Bill, why are you talking so funny?’ William looked across at Adele with a slight question on his face. ‘Sookie honey, William is over here from England, that’s his English accent that you can hear. And now, since you are here, perhaps you can tell Sookie exactly what happened in the accident William, as I seem to be making a bit of a mess about it.’ ‘Certainly it would be my pleasure Mrs Stackhouse’ William replied.

‘I don’t know if you recall anything about the night but there were pretty heavy rain showers on and off and that made the road very slippery. I was on my way home out near the old cemetery and you were in the car ahead of mine,’ William was saying as Sookie interrupted ‘Wait a minute, what do you mean you were on your way home?’ ‘Sookie, now don’t be rude, let William tell his story and you can ask as many questions as you like later,’ Adele admonished. Sookie felt like an eight year old again that was being scolded for talking in class. William gave her an encouraging smile and continued on. ‘It was just as you were rounding a bend in the road that I noticed car lights in the distance coming from the opposite direction that seemed to be swerving all over the road, then it was the strangest thing.’ 

‘Even though it had been raining heavily not more than ten minutes beforehand at that particular time it had stopped and there was a break in the clouds. With the full moon being so bright it lit up that particular section of the road and that’s when I saw it. I’m not familiar with Louisiana wild life so you will have to forgive my ignorance, but for just a moment I thought it was a wolf standing caught in the headlights of the on coming car. The approaching car seeing something on the road, swerved even more erratically than before and clipped the side of your vehicle sending you spinning off the road and straight into a tree. In the mean time the other car flipped several times before landing on its roof. The Collie dog, for that’s I have come to believe that I actually did see, was no where to be seen so I can only presume it was unhurt and made its own way home.’

‘I instantly stopped and after checking on the couple in the car with the worst damage, I knew that there was nothing I could do for them, so I ran over to your car. You had a pretty bad hit to the head but it was a tree branch smashing through your window that had done the most damage to you, gashing your neck and your thigh. You were bleeding badly and ringing for an ambulance on my mobile, sorry force of habit, on my cell phone I think you call them, I felt that you were in danger of bleeding to death so rather than take the chance of waiting for the ambulance to arrive, I managed to get you out of the car and into mine and well, here you are.’ William finished.

‘But Sookie, that’s not all’ Adele said ‘You had lost a lot of blood and like all us Stackhouses you have the distinction of being in the rarest blood group there is; AB negative. When William got you here they needed to give you a transfusion but they didn’t have your blood type, now here is the most remarkable part, William is AB negative, so it was William giving you his blood that saved your life a second time’.  
Sookies head was literally spinning. She could not shake the feeling that she had lived all this before but under different circumstances. She looked at the man sitting next to the bed. His auburn hair falling softly around his face, his sapphire eyes and sensitive mouth all feeling familiar. 

‘Who are you?’ she said, the words echoing in her mind reminiscent of a past event that she couldn’t quite place. ‘Oh I’m terribly sorry, I should have explained’ William replied. ‘Sookie, as I told you this is William, William Compton. He has taken over the old Compton place and is our new neighbour. Portia Bellefluer was handling the estate and had a terrible time tracking down last living relatives after old Jessie Compton died but William explained he had been travelling and that was why he was so hard to reach, and now here he is and Sookie, he is restoring the house to its old former glory. Won’t that be something?’ Adele spoke enthusiastically. ‘Why, did you know William that it was once home to a confederate soldier? Oh my, I forgot, of course you know that, he would have been a relative of yours wouldn’t he?’ ‘Well actually, as I have been doing a lot of renovating, I came across a diary from those times and you know, I do believe that it was written by the person you were speaking of,’ William said.

Adele was in seventh heaven. ‘Well now, if that isn’t the oddest coincidence? William I don’t suppose I could impose upon you….oh no, but would you, would you care to come to a meeting of the Descendants of the Glorious Dead and give a talk on its contents?’ she asked hopefully. William looked doubtful but seeing the excited look on Adele’s face he quickly replied a little wistfully, ‘Why yes, my time is my own at the moment, it would be a pleasure. As I am hoping to make Bon Temps my home I would like to get to know everyone, building bridges in the community so to speak.’  
William was glad that at that moment the conversation was interrupted by a loud whoop of delight. ‘Sook’ Jason exclaimed as he walked in the door ‘You’re awake. William, good to see you again man.’ Jason grinning held out his hand to him in greeting. Behind Jason, Tara stood smiling at her dearest friend.

William got up to go as he felt an intruder in this happy circle of family and friends. ‘Don’t go man’ Jason said. The nurse entering the room put an end to the reunion as visiting hours were over. Patients needed their rest and as Sookie had only just awoken from her coma she needed to get some sleep. ‘Mrs Stackhouse I can give you a lift home if you need one, it’s on my way’ William offered. ‘Please, come back tomorrow,’ Sookie said holding out her hand to him with an effort ‘and thank you. I didn’t thank you earlier but I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you have done for me,’ she said softly. He smiled and gently eased her hand back onto the bed before leaving with the others. 

Sookie woke the next morning feeling refreshed or as refreshed as possible with tubes still hanging out of her. The nurses like in all hospitals, were all about the business of changing sheets and sponge baths and routines. Normally this would have irritated Sookie but right now there was nothing more that she could want than to have some kind of decent wash. Her skin felt like lumpy macaroni and her hair was an oil slick. The hospital gown she was laying in had that sickly sweet milky smell that you only get when you have been seriously ill and Sookie couldn’t wait to get clean and put on one of her own soft night gowns. Besides she thought, she might be in hospital but there was no reason why she couldn’t at least look a little decent for visitors, her mind instantly flashing upon a pair of blue mesmerising eyes. Sookie smiled a little at the thought, hmm, I must be feeling a little better today.

Two nurses came in to make her bed at that point. ‘Hi I am Jessica,’ the tall red haired girl said smiling ‘and this is Pam,’ introducing an ash blonde with serious big blue eyes. Sookie shook herself, again she had the oddest sensation, almost a feeling of deja vu but not quite, there was something about seeing the two nurses but she just couldn’t quite grasp it. Still, she was glad to be helped out of bed with care and, joy of joys, assisted into the shower where with every care she was able to even wash her hair. When finished, Jessica and Pam encouraged her to sit in the chair while they changed the bed. While sitting waiting to get back into bed, the doctor who had been attending her made his rounds. Jessica did the introductions ‘Sookie this is Dr Ericsson’. ‘Good to see you awake and out of bed Sookie’ the tall blonde doctor said to her, holding out his hand. ‘We just need to do a few more routine tests then we’ll see about getting that drip taken out for you. How are your pain levels on a scale of one to ten?’ he asked as he shone a light in her eyes and then examined her neck. 

He was taking her pulse when he quickly looked at her face alarmed by the sudden jump in her heart rate. William had walked quietly into the room unnoticed by the doctor and turned to leave, embarrassed that he had intruded. Sookie’s gown was still pulled up from the examination of her thigh and left very little to the imagination. Quickly adjusting it, she called out ‘William, please don’t go’. He was carrying a bunch of flowers for her and looked a little sheepish. Sookie blushed too as she realised the cause of his discomfort. Dr Ericsson gave a small nod. ‘Mr Compton’ he said rather formerly and shook hands before turning back to face Sookie. ‘Your wounds are healing well and there should be little scarring,’ he said with the faintest of accents. ‘Right now, what you need most is to get up and start walking, it will help the recovery processes. You will have a long road of rehabilitation but you won’t have any lasting impediments if you stick with it,’ and smiling slightly as he left the room he added ‘I will see you again on my next rounds’. 

‘Well, that’s good news’ said William smiling, still standing with the flowers in his hand. Sookie couldn’t help but stare at him; it was just the oddest feeling, why it was just like she knew him she thought. She shook her head, this was crazy. Forcing herself to focus, she cautiously attempted to stand up. ‘Please let me help you’ William reached out with his hand to steady her, gently holding her arm. His hand on her arm was so soft and warm, and was so elegant, so expressive. Oh Lord Sookie thought, it must be the remnants of the drugs making her fanciful, as she took a few shuffling steps. ‘William, would you mind…you heard the doctor, the sooner I get walking the better, do you think you could just walk with me a bit? Only till I get a bit steadier,’ she asked looking up at him.

Leaving the flowers on the bedside table Sookie took her first steps towards recovery with William at her side. Slowly shuffling, wheeling her drip along with her, William slowed his pace to match hers. He was quiet and she liked that. It was a comfortable silence. Her head was still hurting but she realised that she hadn’t noticed it so much, nor the other aches and pains. There was something so comforting about William. He had an aura to him, one of …she couldn’t quite decide if it was peace or sadness but there was something unmistakable that left an impression on her. What was that saying people had, ‘an old soul’, yes that was it, that was sort of what she glimmered from him, he was an old soul.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie’s recovery progresses as she begins her journey back to health.
> 
> The usual disclaimers apply regarding copyright and kudos to AB, HBO & Charlaine Harris.

The night air was cool as Sookie stood on the lawn in front of the house. She was puzzled, what was she doing out in the garden in the middle of the night in her night gown? She cast around turning, looking for something she couldn’t find but she knew it was something important to her. And then she felt a sense of overwhelming relief as she saw him standing in the moonlight. She gasped in startled surprise, her heart racing when he stood there taking his shirt off. It wasn’t the fear of his nakedness that she found so frightening, it was his face glowing with a luminescence that was not a reflection of the moon or the night stars, and it was his mouth as he seductively licked his lips. 

She woke bathed in sweat unable to determine where she was. Jessica, working the night shift came softly into the room, her uniform ghastly pale in the darkness. ‘Sookie are you all right, I could hear you moaning from the nurse’s station?’ Jess asked with concern. Still shaken, she unconvincingly forced herself to calmly reply ‘I was having a nightmare, just a bad dream, I’m fine’. ‘You know Sookie with all you have been through and the drugs you have been pumped full of it’s not uncommon to have bad dreams. If you like I can organise some trauma counselling for you. You don’t have to do this on your own you know and it really does help to talk about things,’ she said patting her hand with care.

Sudden tears sprang unexpectedly to her eyes. Jess’s kindness had touched her for unknown reasons. She suddenly felt unaccountably close to Jess, taking her hand in hers and clasping it. ‘Sookie what is it, are you in pain’ Jess asked? She couldn’t speak, her emotions totally running away with her. What was happening, she was just feeling so emotional, so ….vulnerable? ‘I’m sorry Jess, I don’t know what’s the matter with me, maybe it’s just night terrors. I just don’t feel right, not physically although I have been known to feel better but it’s just I’m feeling really confused at the moment. I can’t explain it,’ she ended lamely. ‘Look, I was about to go on a break so how about you give me a couple of minutes while I finish up with another patient then I’ll come back for my break and we can have a talk?’ Jess smiled and before Sookie could protest she was gone.

Jess was held up for longer than she’d expected to be so by the time she came back to Sookie’s room she found her sleeping. She checked her and saw that she looked comfortable enough and went off to write a note requesting some counselling to be arranged. It was not uncommon for emotional reactions to traumatic events but Jess felt there was something different about Sookie’s night traumas, something more than just bad dreams and she would like to help her. She liked Sookie and she definitely liked her rescuer William, she thought he was a doll. She had been on duty the night that he had bought Sookie in and normally moving a car crash patient without an ambulance would not be the right thing to do but under these circumstances William had saved Sookie’s life for sure. Despite the events, Jess had noticed how calm he was, how concerned he was and all for a total stranger. He almost looked like this was second nature, like he’d done it before. Well, some people have all the luck and I guess it was just Sookie’s lucky day that there was someone there on that lonely stretch of road that could help her out.

No one ever seems to sleep well in hospitals but despite Sookies bad night she woke in the morning feeling a little stronger, glad to see Pam coming in on the early shift to help her into the shower and change the bed. Pam was so different to Jessica but never the less, she was grateful to her for helping her. Sitting in the chair while Pam changed the bed linen she was surprised by a visit from Bud Dearborn and Andy Bellefluer. Bud commenced the conversation looking a little embarrassed. ‘Sookie, just tell us if you’re not feeling up to this but it’s purely a matter of routine,’ Bud said. ‘We just have to ask you a few questions about the night of the accident and we’ve okayed it with Dr Ericsson, he’s says it’s okay with him if it’s alright with you.’

‘Bud, what’s this about?’ she asked. ‘Well, like I said we just have to ask you a few questions about the accident and get your account of what happened that night. We have a statement from Mr Compton but we need to get confirmation of the facts from you, check out his story so to speak,’ he replied looking uncomfortable again. Sookie looked from Bud to Andy and back again. ‘Bud, I’m sorry but I don’t remember much at all. The last thing I remember and then even this isn’t too clear, was getting in my car, everything else is blurred out,’ she said trying hard to recollect anything of that night but not succeeding.

‘You knew the Rattrays didn’t you?’ Bud questioned innocently enough. ‘Yes I knew them. They were renting that trailer sitting on a block of land owned by one of my clients. As a matter of fact they owed back rent and I had been given instructions to evict them. I know they’ve been in trouble with the law Bud for drugs, so I know that you have been out there and seen the mess the place is in. I don’t want to speak ill of the dead but they weren’t the greatest of people to have as tenants.’ ‘Any animosity between you and the Rattrays, Sookie?’ Bud asked lightly. ‘I don’t think you’d call it animosity on my part, I was only doing my job Bud, but put it this way, I wasn’t expecting a Christmas card any time soon,’ she finished. ‘What about Mr Compton, do you know him?’ She hesitated before answering ‘No, I have never met William before I met him here in the hospital the other night,’ she explained. ‘Well that’s about it then Sookie, if you do remember anything, anything at all please let us know. We have to make our reports when there is vehicle fatality and in this case there were two,’ he said closing his note book. ‘You know where to find us,’ and getting up left. Andy smiled as he reached the door and wished her a speedy recovery and that was that.

The interview left her uncomfortable, she didn’t know why, if she could only remember what happened. She felt it was important that she tried to get things straight in her head but the harder she tried the more it escaped her, perhaps if she stopped trying so hard she would be able to get things clear. As she sat thinking over things Dr Ericsson appeared on his morning rounds. After going through all the regular checks he declared that she would be able to leave in a couple of days. Reading through her case notes he lingered, making no attempt to hurry off as he had done the previous day when William was there. Instead he pulled over the spare visitors chair and sat down next to Sookie before commencing to mention Jessica’s note of the previous night. 

‘You know Sookie, I can recommend a counsellor to you that may be of some help if you need to talk about the accident,’ he said to her. ‘It’s not really the accident that’s bothering me,’ she said puzzled ‘it’s just, I don’t know what it is but I’m feeling a bit confused at the moment,’ looking at him with a puzzled expression. ‘Let me get you the name and number of someone that may be able to help you, and don’t worry about it you’ll be fine. Just remember to get about as much as you can but at the same time don’t over do it. You lost a lot of blood and will be feeling a bit weak for a while and apart from you neck and leg you have had a considerable head trauma.’ He smiled at her giving her reassurance then left. 

Getting up slowly she managed to shuffle to the door only to bump straight into William as he was coming in. ‘Hello,’ he reached out to keep her from falling. ‘I thought you might like some company and as it’s such a beautiful day out there I thought perhaps you might like to try walking out into the hospital grounds. We could sit in the gardens if you like, I’m sure the sunshine would do you some good.’ As she had before, she felt a connection to this man. Maybe it had something to do with his saving her, giving her his blood. Odd, she hadn’t thought of that before. It was a strange feeling that she was with someone she didn’t really know who had saved her life; she was walking around, well trying to, with this person’s blood in her veins. Suddenly she realised that she wanted to know everything about him. She had asked him that first night who he was but now she really wanted to know. ‘Yes, I’d like that William it would be nice to just sit in the sunlight with you and talk.’

Making their way slowly outside they found an area with a bench that was in the sun. ‘It’s so good to be outside’ she said breaking the silence. ‘I’ll never take for granted being able to get out of bed. You have no idea how good this feels drinking in the sunshine and just feeling the fresh air on my face. Even just hearing the birds and the trees rustling, this is just heaven.’ William looked at her, a small smile creasing the corners of his lips. ‘I’m glad you are feeling better, you have more colour today and you don’t look as tired’. Sookie blushed, she suddenly had a flashback to the dream she had last night, the man taking off his shirt in her dream kind of looked a lot like William but there was something different about him. Remembering the details of his body as his shirt came off, she turned an even deeper shade of crimson, thinking to her self that she better stop thinking like this as it was getting her hot and bothered in places she hadn’t thought about for a while. She looked in any direction but Williams, afraid that if she did he would notice something so she quickly asked him about himself. 

‘Tell me about yourself, I mean I know that you came here because you are the last living relative of Jessie Compton but I think Gran said you had been travelling a lot. I’ve never been much anywhere, well not on a holiday, only for work. Tell me about some of the places you have been to.’ ‘Oh I’ve been to a lot of different places around the world. Actually, most recently I’ve been in Australia hiking around a national park in Victoria. It’s the most beautiful place I have ever been to and that’s where I was when Portia managed to track me down. There is just so much to see out there in the world, we are just living on one precious little planet in a big universe but it is such a beautiful diverse fragile thing; I think we take it for granted. There is of course poverty, sickness and hardship but it’s funny, really people are people where ever you go. Everyone has something in their life that maybe they would like to change…. or undo,’ he said under his breathe ‘but it’s what you do with your life and with those around you that really counts, if you can make a difference to just one person’s life in your entire lifetime then it really means something. One person can really make a difference in this world, but not enough of us realise that,’ he finished. ‘Well I am sure glad you know that or otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here, you sure as hell made a difference in my life’ she smiled at him, surprised at the depth of his response. ‘I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to go rabbiting on like that. Tell me what your plans are when you get out of here,’ he quickly changed the subject.

Sookie realised that she hadn’t really made any plans. Although she knew that she was going to be all right, Dr Ericsson had said that she would need physiotherapy for quite a while. She knew her leg was healing but she knew she wasn’t ready to go back to work. ‘You know I haven’t really made too many plans but tell me, how is your house renovating going? Does it need a lot of work? Old Jessie had become a bit of recluse over the last while so I imagine he had let the house go a bit,’ she inquired ‘who have you got doing the repairs?’ ‘Well it does need a lot of work and I’m the one doing the repairs at the moment although, I don’t really trust the wiring and I’m no electrician but I haven’t really got anyone out yet to give me quotes. I don’t really know any of the trades people in the area.’ ‘Oh that’s no problem, I can give you a list of reliable electricians and plumbers, plasters any thing that you need, we have contacts through the real estate agency.’ ‘Perhaps when you are feeling well enough you might like to come over and look around the place, I’d value your opinion on what you think needs doing seeing you are in the housing market so to speak?’ William asked somewhat hopefully. ‘Yes, I’d like that it’s the least I can do’ she said. ‘Sookie please, I want you to know that you don’t owe me anything, please don’t feel that you are under any obligations to me. You were in an accident and I just did what anyone would do under the circumstances,’ William was saying as Adele walked over to them. 

‘My’ she said, ‘don’t you two look comfortable,’ and Sookie had the distinct feeling that Gran was not referring to the seating arrangements and rolled her eyes at her. ‘The nurses told me that you had gone for a bit of a stroll and my dear, I couldn’t be happier.’ Sookie gave Adele another look of exasperation. Adele had the tendency to be old fashioned enough to look at Sookie as a spinster seeing she was twenty five, not yet married and with no particular boyfriend. She’d had dates of course but there was no one that had come along that had really ‘rocked her boat’ as she had tried to explain to her, no one that she felt a connection with so she threw herself into her work and just got on with life. And she waited patiently. Gran always said to her that there is always someone out there for each of us and one day that person would come along and change everything. 

‘Yes child I am so happy ….that you are able to get about a bit my dear’. The words weren’t lost on William just as Sookie’s embarrassment wasn’t either and he turned his face away to hide an amused smile. He hadn’t had much to smile about over the last few years but being here in Bon Temps he was slowly relaxing. She stood slowly and taking Williams arm to steady her self returned to her room with Adele in tow. He left them to spend the rest of visiting hours together, promising to return soon. ‘Sookie, he is just such a handsome man and so polite. Don’t you think so?’ she said studying her face. ‘Really, just stop it now. You are so jumping to conclusions. You don’t know anything about him, he’s probably married with a wife and six kids for all you know Grans.’ ‘No he’s not. He’s not married, Bud Dearborn told me.’ ‘Honestly Grans, you should have been a detective. I don’t know how you managed to get Bud to tell you anything let alone details about William.’ She shook her head as she filed this piece of information. 

The rest of the visiting hours were spent catching up on local gossip and with the various other visitors who came by to wish her well, including Tara and to her surprise, Sam Merlotte. Sam’s visit was welcomed as they had been friends for quite a while and she had actually dated Sam but although she did love him, he had accepted that it was more of a brother sister friendship kind of love and reluctantly did not push the issue, although he was more than willing to give it a shot again at the slightest indication from her. Sam’s visit was not just to see how she was, he was also there to apologise he said. ‘Sam apologise for what?’ she questioned. ‘Sook as a bar keeper it’s my responsibility to make sure none of my patrons drink too much and I guess I feel like I let you down. The Rattrays had been in the bar drinking the night of your accident so I feel like it’s my fault.’ ‘Oh Sam, don’t you dare blame your self. You know what they were like. Those two were nothing but trouble. I’m sorry they were killed but you can’t blame yourself plus, what time did they leave was it around closing time cause the accident didn’t happen until around one, one thirty in the morning?’

Sookie then realised that for the first time she had remembered a detail about that night. She had remembered what time it was when the accident happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing but the Truth

Kudos go to Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris whose characters have given us so much pleasure. 

Chapter 3

Three days later, after a visit from Dr Ericsson with the final okay, Sookie left the hospital. He had examined her one last time and was pleased with the way she was progressing. As promised, he had provided her with the name of a counsellor who would be able to assist her with ongoing help to deal with her trauma issues. She had not mentioned it, not even to Jessica at night when they had sat chatting on her breaks, but her dreams seemed to be getting more frequent and more bizarre. The latest one had involved, of all people, someone who had vaguely reminded her of Dr Ericsson and had been set in some kind of weird club she remembered and Pam had been there too. She had a sketchy notion that the same man she had dreamt about on the lawn, the one that reminded her of William, had taken her to this club when something had happened and they’d fought on the way home. She’d woken up with a head ache from the loud exotic music that he’d been playing in his car. She tried hard to fit all the pieces of the dream together but as often happens when dreaming; you can only remember snatches of vague bits and pieces that don’t fit. It was all really strange having these really odd dreams and she found it quite disturbing.

She thanked the doctor for all the help and care he had given her and was genuinely touched when he offered to come and visit her from time to time to check on her progress, or so he said. She had said her thanks and goodbyes to all the staff and given her number to Pam and Jessica with whom she’d arranged to catch up with soon for a girl’s night out. Jason had arrived on time for once to pick her up and take her home. As they were walking through the car park William arrived and Sookie’s eyebrows rose when she caught sight of his car, a shiny black BMW. Seeing them walking towards Jason’s pick-up William walked over quickly, not wanting to hold them up. ‘I’m glad I caught you’ he said before continuing awkwardly ‘I was wondering….may I call on you?’ Seeing the puzzled look on her face he rephrased the question ‘May I visit with you, once you have settled in that is?’ ‘Sure, that would be nice and William, perhaps I can come over and look at the house?’ she smiled getting into the pick-up with some assistance from both Jase and William. ‘See you soon’ she called out the window as they drove off. 

Jason couldn’t help himself once on their way home. ‘You know Sis, he’s one hell of a guy that William. And it’s a relief to me to know that you have someone reliable as a neighbour living not too far away. I do worry sometimes about you and Grans living out there, two women on your own.’ Well, this was a day full of surprises for her. She looked at Jason and smiling, scuffed his hair. ‘Sookie, not while I’m driving,’ he retaliated, laughing despite himself. They might drive each other nuts at times but they sure did care about each other in their own ways she thought and it had always been like that since they had lost their parents when they were young.

Adele was there to greet them on the porch when she arrived home. ‘It sure is good to have you home child,’ she told her as she nearly squeezed the breath out of her in ‘now hurry up you two, I have lunch on the table and cold pitcher of iced tea.’ Jason helped her inside; carrying the small overnight bag Adele had bought to her with her night gowns and toiletries. It was good to be home, she was thinking as she sank into the comfortable sofa, gently easing her leg up onto the cushions.  
After lunch was over and Jason had left to go back to work Adele suggested Sookie lay out on the deck chair in the garden while she did some rose pruning. Secretly Adele was thinking that she could do with a bit of sun, she was looking pale and tired and it would do both of them good to have some time outside. There was a gentle breeze just nice enough to take the bite out of the sun and the perfume from the roses and other blooms wafted throughout the garden with a tantalising promise of the summer to come. It wasn’t too long before she had dozed off Gran noticed; taking care not to make any noise that would disturb her.

Despite her restful nap she was tired that night and looking forward to sleeping in her own bed. As she snuggled down into the clean sheets she stretched out and gingerly flexed her injured leg, taking care not to over stretch and pull her stitches. She smiled as she realised that she was just that tiny bit more flexible, her head had stopped aching and the puncture wound in her neck no longer throbbed. All in all she had to admit she was feeling a little better. She was still smiling as she quickly fell asleep. 

The fire was giving out a soft glow to the room as she lay on the thick rug. Softly but passionately kissing her, he gently took her tenderly with care, as though she was a precious fragile thing and easily crushed. The love she felt was so overwhelming, so all consuming. She had never thought she could feel like this ever. She belonged.  
She moaned slightly but not enough to wake up. She rolled over in her sleep and slid into yet another dream. Scented candles filled the bathroom mingling their fragrance with the heady atmosphere, giving off a subliminal aura of contentment as she sat in the bath tub wrapped in the comfort of his strong sensual arms, his long delicate fingers softly caressing her breasts. It was the bliss she had always sought but never found. She had never felt this safe or wanted. She needed the moment to go on forever, to never stop. She wanted that moment frozen in time. She wanted to stay wrapped in the arms of her dark lover for eternity. 

Sunshine came streaming in through the net curtains in her bedroom when Sookie woke the next morning. She stretched out forgetting about her leg until the inevitable pull on her stitches caused discomfort. Still, she was feeling good. Actually she felt more than good, remembering the intensity of her dreams and the stirrings her dreams had awakened. Shaking her self she got out of bed slowly, recalling doctor’s orders not to get up too quickly in case she became dizzy. She showered and was just dressing when Adele came in to announce that William had called to ask if she was up to a bit of a stroll after breakfast.

She was waiting on the porch watching for him when he appeared walking up the path. He was wearing jeans and had on a pale coloured Henley that seemed to bring out the blue of his eyes. Whether it was the remnant of her dreams she didn’t know but in the sunshine, watching him as he walked towards her, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

‘Hi’ she beamed at him, ‘Good morning, how are you feeling?’ matching her smile. He swung up the porch steps with ease to stand beside her. ‘I hope you don’t mind that I rang, I just thought it’s such a lovely day you might like to come over and have a look around, that is if you are feeling up to it?’ he queried. ‘Sure, I’ll just let Grans know I’m going’. ‘Oh by the way, I have prepared a lunch for us just in case you were tired and didn’t feel like coming back straight away,’ William added. ‘Oh great, I’ll just let Grans know’ she repeated ‘so she won’t worry,’ but Adele was out the front door beaming before she had moved. ‘Morning again William, what a lovely day. Now why don’t you two just go off and enjoy it.’ Sookie gave her another one of those looks. She realised that Adele must have been eavesdropping but it was hard to stay mad at her so, kissing her on the cheek they were off with Adele’s happy face watching from the porch.

‘Did you have any trouble finding your way over here?’ she asked as they took their time slowly walking to spare her energy, ‘most people would find it odd to take a short cut through a cemetery but I have always kind of found it peaceful,’ she was looking up to see his reaction. ‘Actually your Gran had given me pretty good directions this morning on the phone and no, I don’t have any qualms about the cemetery. I like to think of it as just a stepping stone, your body may end up here but your soul has moved out there,’ and here he waved his hand in a general sweep across the sky. She looked at him with interest. Wow she thought this William is one deep thinker.

They walked on slowly until they had come to the middle of the cemetery where there was a clearing with seats randomly scattered around for those who wished to sit and contemplate. William, guiding her over to one, suggested resting for a while, concerned that the efforts of her first true day out would tire her. Sitting there in the absolute peace she pointed to a path leading to a more overgrown area and mentioned that was the older part of the cemetery. William looked over with interest. 

‘Maybe one day if you wouldn’t mind, you could show me around? I have paid my respects at Jessie’s resting place but the family here goes back beyond him and I’d be interested, you know with so much history here and all.’ She immediately thought of the diary William had mentioned finding and his Confederate relative, her interest piqued. ‘Sure, that would be fun, well I don’t mean fun but you know what I mean. We Stackhouse's have been in the area a long time but I think that Gran once said the Compton's have been here longer. You know, it’s strange to think that my relatives and your relatives have been living next to each other for probably near on one hundred and fifty years or more and yet you have to come half way around the world for us to meet.’ ‘Life’s odd that way but you know something Sookie, I don’t believe in coincidences or accidents, I think there is a bigger plan but we just don’t know it at the time,’ William said smiling at her.

They got up and continued on until coming to a wrought iron fence and ornate gate William paused to let her go through but she had come to a dead stop and was standing staring. ‘What is it, are you all right?’ William asked anxiously. She’d done this before; she’d walked this path, entered this gate. The flash of recognition had pulled her up short. She looked at William but couldn’t explain. These feelings of déjà vu were really driving her nuts, they seemed so real, so vivid. William noticed that she was trembling and hastily put his arm around her. ‘Come on, let’s get you up to the house. I fear that this has been too much for you too soon. I’ll drive you home once you’ve rested a bit’. ‘No, it’s okay I just have been having the oddest feelings, sort of like I’ve been here before or been in this situation before.’ ‘Perhaps you’ve had a dream or you were here as a young child and just don’t remember,’ he calmly replied attempting to soothe her. They had continued walking through the trees, William’s arm still around her for support, but now they emerged on the front lawn in full sunlight and she paused to take in the view of the old house. ‘I can smell sunlight on your skin’. 

‘What, what did you say?’ she spun around to look at William, the words echoing in her mind as though of some deep significance. ‘I was saying that as the sun’s pretty hot I’d best get you in. I think you need a cool drink and to sit down for a bit,’ William replied gently moving her forward. Coming up the front porch steps she looked with interest at the old double doors, cracking paint peeling off like dried skin. The place had seen better days but for all of that, she liked it, there was a sad dignity about it as if waiting for the better days to return. Once inside, rooms lead off to the right and the left of the large formal hall with stairs leading to the upstairs rooms. The wallpaper was marked with patches of damp in various places, the dark splotches forming grotesque hideous shapes just crying out for attention. William led Sookie into the large formal lounge room on the right dominated by a huge fire place, couches drawn up on each side resting on an elegant patterned rug. At the sight of the fireplace she had drawn in a deep breath. She recognised it instantly; she had made love in front it in with her dark lover as she had now come to think of him, in her dream the night before. 

William caught her as she fell and gently laid her on one of the couches before getting a glass of cold water and a dampened cloth from the kitchen. ‘It’s okay, I’m all right’ she said as he sat down beside her, worry plainly written on his face. ‘I just felt a little wobbly; I guess I have over estimated my strength. Please promise me not to mention this to Gran as she will worry so,’ she said smiling weakly. ‘All right, your secret is safe with me but you have to promise to take it easy and not over do it. Also, you have to have some lunch with me, you need to eat something then I’ll drive you home,’ he said gently scolding her. The nearness of him was too much for her. She could feel his warmth flowing through her thin cotton sun dress where his body pressed against hers as he sat there. Or perhaps it was the memory of the fireplace dream that explains why, but abruptly leaning forward, she simply whispered ‘Thank you William’ then gently brushed his cheek with her lips. Taken by surprise by her actions, turning slightly he very lightly brushed her lips with his. It was a tentative gesture, neither one sure of whether to take things further but certainly wanting to. 

Sookie thought to hell with it, I’m going crazy anyway so I might as well go the whole hog and moving her hand, gently leaning in, she pulled his face to meet hers. That was confirmation enough for William and being very careful not to hurt her injured neck in any way, gently holding her face with his hand, he found her mouth. They sat like this for some time, each enjoying exploring the other’s mouth, the intensity building in both of them. It was William that finally broke the embrace. ‘Sookie, I had better get us some lunch before I do something I think we both may regret,’ he was breathing heavily, totally embarrassed by the very obvious need he was feeling for her as he stood, his tight jeans hiding nothing of the feelings that he was having for her, and he turned abruptly and left the room.

She was tingling all over. What was it about this man that made her feel this way, well apart from the obvious? She lay back down on the couch and looked around the room. That fireplace, it was just like the one in her dream and that started her tingling all over again. Snap out of it she thought to herself. At that moment she made up her mind. She really needed to get her head sorted out so as soon as she got home she would ring for a counselling appointment.

They had lunch on his porch and to Sookie’s surprise William was a very good cook. Most men aren’t but he was and she couldn’t help commenting. ‘I love to cook’ he smiled ‘I just love food, perhaps you would like to come over for dinner one night?’ he asked unsure of himself. ‘Sure, that would be great but you have to let me do the washing up that’s only fair,’ she smiled. ‘It’s a deal. Now, do you think you feel up to having a look around the house or I can take you home if you’re tired?’ 

She assured him she was feeling fine and they spent the next half an hour looking around the rooms, running a practised eye over each room that they went into. Coming into the master bedroom she felt strange. ‘Oh William you still have the carved bedroom suite,’ she said somewhat entranced. ‘How did you know about the suite?’ he asked her with surprise. ‘Oh, umm what I meant was’ she stammered, ‘it looks like an original that would belong to the house, you know from way back,’ she said to hide her confusion. She had never been in this room but she knew every piece of furniture in it. She knew what it felt like to lay in this bed, to make love in this bed, to love with all her heart in this bed.

She stood staring around the room, lost in her thoughts. ‘So what are you thinking?’ William asked. There was no possible way she could really tell him what her thoughts were right at that moment. She blushed just thinking about it. ‘It’s perfect, just perfect,’ she said ‘if I were you I wouldn’t touch this room, I would leave it just the way it is,’ she answered softly. ‘You know it’s funny but that’s exactly how I feel about this room too. There is something about it that, I don’t know, I find it very comforting. Good we’re agreed, this one stays the way it is,’ he said with a satisfied smile, his eyes glowing with real warmth.

Sookie had to drag her self away from the bedroom as they continued their tour. William told her of his plans; he was especially interested in starting work on getting the bathroom up to scratch with the addition of a large spa bath. She smiled to her self as that too hadn’t really been a surprise. Coming down stairs they were walking towards the kitchen when William stopped to let her go by. Sookie, glancing up at him standing there, suddenly noticed a door behind him and caught her breath.

He stood there in his pale coloured Henley and she had a flash again of quite a different time. ‘What’s in there?’ she asked shakily. ‘You know its odd really, have a look,’ and opening the door it revealed a small carpeted space leading to nowhere. Much to William’s surprise Sookie stepped inside and lifted the carpeting to reveal a bolted trap door. Before she could say anything William had grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen, unbolted the door and was standing looking up at her from the shallow steps leading downwards. 

‘Don’t, oh please don’t go down there, please don’t,’ she said with real alarm in her voice and tears in her eyes. William was startled by her reaction and immediately climbed back up putting off exploring for another time. ‘Sookie, what is it?’ he questioned. ‘Please don’t go down there. I don’t know, it’s just I …I don’t like the thought of you being down there,’ she urgently pleaded. William could see she was visibly shaken and reproached himself.

Today has been too much for her too soon he was thinking and putting his arm around her for comfort he said ‘I think it’s about time I got you home’.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie's physical recovery progresses and she gets a little help for her other issues too while she continues on her journey.
> 
> All the usual disclaimers, the characters aren’t mine they belong to the creative talents of Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris.

‘Did you have a nice day dear?’ Adele asked after William had dropped Sookie home and they were sitting in the lounge room after dinner. She was a little worried about her. She was very quiet and although she looked better than she had in hospital she was not looking herself. ‘What was the house like, I suppose William has his work cut out for him to restore it to its former glory’ she was saying thoughtfully.

‘Yes Gran, there is a lot of work to do on the place’ she answered. ‘Did you enjoy the day dear?’ Adele questioned again trying hard not to pry but not being able to help herself. ‘What you really mean is, did I get on with William and do I like him isn’t it?’ Sookie couldn’t help but laugh. ‘And yes, I like him. I do like him a lot and Gran,’ she hesitated ‘umm, oh never mind it’s not important.’ she trailed off embarrassed.   
She had almost been going to mention the kiss but, although Adele was her closest ally, she wasn’t quite sure if it was appropriate to be telling her about her feelings. 

‘Child, what is it? You know you can tell me anything, anything at all and I won’t judge you harshly you know.’ ‘Well,’ Sookie was grateful to have someone to talk to ‘it’s just that I do really like him and when we were kissing’ Adele interrupted, ‘He kissed you did he?’ ‘Well I kind of kissed him and he kissed me back’ her face was glowing red, she felt like a teenager talking about boys to her girlfriend, she went on ‘I had the strangest feeling that it had all happened before, that he was so familiar oh, I just don’t know. I’m very confused at the moment’ she ended. Adele hid her smile, the last thing she wanted to do was to put Sookie at odds with her.

‘Well you know dear, and please let me finish before jumping down my throat but, well that was the way I felt about your Grandpa when we first kissed’ she said reminiscing. ‘Oh Gran you’re just saying that because you like William.’ ‘No I am not. I knew within a week of meeting him that we were meant to be. There was just something so familiar and….’‘and comforting about him’ she finished. ‘Why yes, that’s what I felt’ Gran said looking closely at her. ‘Child is that how you feel about William, that you feel safe?’ she asked. 

She smiled, yes that’s exactly how she felt, she barely knew him but she felt as though she had known him for years. She felt he would never hurt her and only protect her. Oh dam, maybe it was just because she had his blood, he’d saved her life; maybe that was all that it was. She didn’t know how she felt but she did know that she could still feel his lips on hers, still feel the heat of his nearness and she knew that she wanted to feel all this and more. ‘I love you Grans’ she said as she headed off to bed. ‘I love you too child, sweet dreams.’

The next day getting the card from her purse that Dr Ericsson had given her, she made an appointment to see the trauma counsellor and as luck would have it there was an opening that afternoon due to a last minute cancellation. She had not made any other plans for the day so she was sitting out in the garden attempting to read a mystery fiction when William showed up early after lunch. ‘Hi, I just dropped by on my way to get some supplies and thought I’d see if you needed anything while I’m in town’ he enquired. ‘Oh William, could I ask a favour? I have an appointment so if it wouldn’t be too much trouble could you give me a lift into town? I can catch a lift home with Jason or have Tara run me back’ she said. ‘I don’t mind waiting for you, I have a few stores to get to and am looking at paint colours so that will take me a while. How about I drop you off then you can give me a call when you are ready?’ he finished with a smile. ‘Thank you so much, that will be great if you are sure that’s not inconveniencing you?’ she questioned. 

Adele waved them off with a smile on her face as usual as they drove down the drive way. William’s BMW was pure luxury and Sookie wondered about what type of work he had done to afford such a car but didn’t really feel comfortable asking. ‘Penny for your thoughts’ William said after they had gone some time without speaking. ‘Oh I well, okay I if it’s not too rude I was wondering about your car it’s…’ ‘Expensive?’ William finished with a query. ‘Well, yes. It’s just you don’t see many cars this luxurious around here.’ ‘A while back you could say I came into a bit of money, so right now I don’t really need to work. And one of the advantages of money is that you can afford to get a car that is reliable, so I did’ he finished a little shortly for someone talking about cars, which rather struck her as a little strange. ‘I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to pry.’ She shrank back into her seat feeling admonished for her curiosity. She didn’t know why but she felt William had tensed up and there was a slight distance between them. How talking about a car could cause this she didn’t know and regretted mentioning it. 

‘I’m sorry’ William said ‘I’m not used to talking about myself. It’s been a while since I was with anyone I cared about…’ he stopped mid sentence flushed and embarrassed by his admission, unsure of whether to continue or not. Seeming to make up his mind, he pulled over to the side of the road. ‘What’s wrong?’ she said slightly alarmed. ‘Sookie when I said just now that I came into some money recently it was how I came into it that I don’t like talking about or thinking about,’ he said turning in his seat to look at her. ‘William I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have pried like I did’ she said feeling very uncomfortable. ‘No, it’s all right I want to tell you, I need to tell you. The money was an insurance pay out, a life insurance pay out, you see my wife and two children were killed in a car accident two years ago’ he said with anguish in his voice.

‘Oh William I am so sorry. I had no idea’ she replied. ‘Oh my god, what you must have felt when you saw my car crash, it must have been like reliving it all for you’ she said with feeling and reaching over she gently stroked his hand. ‘I have been wondering the world lost’ he continued on ‘then when I heard about the house here I thought perhaps if I threw myself into something new…’ he trailed off. He took her hand in his and raising it to his lips he kissed it. There was something so emotionally charged in the gesture that tears sprang into her eyes and she stroked his face.

She had such an overwhelming sense of heartbreak and regret coming from William.   
She wanted to hold him and make things right for this man who had given her back her life. She came to the realisation that she really did care for him even though she did not know him well. Leaning in she kissed him, not a passionate kiss but one of comfort and understanding. He pulled her into him and they sat holding each other, Sookie stroking his hair and soothing him, giving him a human connection with another living being, a feeling of warmth that we all need when feeling most vulnerable.

They sat just holding each other both lost to the outside world. ‘Come on, we’d better get you to your appointment’ William broke into the moment with reluctance ‘and Sookie, thank you. I have been lost and you have bought me back to life.’ Sitting back in her seat now, he leaned over and kissed her. There could be no mistaking where this kiss could lead if they hadn’t stopped at that point, both breathing heavily. ‘I really must get you to your appointment’ William laughed lightly, starting the car and driving on. They both had a lot to think about. 

William dropped her off making her promise to call him once her appointment was over and he drove off for supplies. The card Dr Ericsson had given her had simply said 'L Reynolds councillor' with a bunch of letters after the name. Walking into the office she wasn’t quite sure what to expect but was surprised to see it was nothing like the normal sterile atmosphere of a standard doctor’s surgery or even what she had imagined a therapist’s office to look like. The walls weren’t painted the normal drab grey but were a bright sunny yellow. There were comfortable coaches and the reception area looked more like a hotel lobby in a tourist resort with its potted palms and laid back feel. But for all the relaxed atmosphere she was apprehensive.   
She lost her nerve and was just about to hurry out when reaching the door, from an inner room out walked the least likely looking person she thought would be able to give her any help. 

‘Hi, I’m Lafayette please don’t go’ he said looking at her with confidence in his smile. Instead of a serious looking older guy in a suit as she had been expecting, here was a young, jeans and purple tie dyed tee shirt wearing, cool looking man sporting an elaborate gold earring in his left ear. Okay she thought, this is going to be different. ‘Please come in to my office, can I get you some tea or mineral water?’ he asked pleasantly as he lead her into a room off the reception. ‘Take a seat, get comfortable’ he said pointing to the cushioned lounge chair in the corner of the tangerine coloured room.

Colours nearly bounced off the walls and she immediately felt at ease. There were prints of various shades, with abstract designs and potted plants in brightly coloured containers. It was a kaleidoscope of colour that immediately made you feel cheerful. None of the muted drab subdued furnishings usually used to keep visitors calm with an insipid blandness. This was a celebration of life that you couldn’t help but smile at. Sookie had the feeling this was more of a reflection of the practitioner than any text book phycology.

‘All right, how about you tell me what’s on your mind for a start’ Lafayette smiled ‘and take you time you don’t need to rush with this, just any thoughts you have that are getting to you at the moment. I understand that you were in an accident, how’s that going down with you? Do you remember anything at all about the accident?’ he said, appearing genuinely interested. ‘Well, I umm guess that’s why I’m here’ she said thoughtfully ‘ever since the accident I seem to be having…I don’t know what you call it but kind of like flashes of events and dreams too. It’s the oddest of things. It’s like I’ve lived another life but I can’t quite grasp it’ she puzzled. ‘The only thing that I remember about the accident and I’ve only remembered this recently, was that it must have happened around 1:00am or 1:30am.’

‘Is there any particular reason that you can think of that was significant about that time, any thing that made you remember the time?’ ‘Well no, but it’s odd. I have the feeling that I should know why that time was so important but I just don’t know what it is about it. All I remember was getting off work and that’s it and it was only when I was talking to Sam Merlotte about the Rattrays that I suddenly remembered that it would have to have been around that time but I don’t know why. I hate this, I hate not knowing what’s going on in my head and if I’m dreaming or what,’ frustration was in her voice. 

‘Okay, so in these… let’s call them dreams for the time being, do you recognise the people around you?’ he asked. ‘Well that’s one of the things that is puzzling. I do recognise them now, sought of, but in the dreams there’s something that is different about them,’ she pondered before going on to explain the various situations. She was more than a little embarrassed about the content and details of some of the dreams she was recollecting but thought what the heck, he’s a therapist so he’s probably heard some really off the wall stuff coming out of people’s minds. 

‘So let’s see, you had a dream about a sexual encounter with a man that reminds you of the person that you have just found out saved your life. And you have had other dreams that included one of your nurses and your doctor?’ he recounted. ‘Sookie, I would say that what you are experiencing is a normal reaction to the trauma you have been through. Dreams are just your subconscious sorting through all the data in your mind. You have no reason to fear them, they are just like a safety valve sifting through what’s important and what’s not,’ he said reassuringly.

‘I can understand that but what I don’t understand is that I keep getting flashes when I am wide awake. They’re kind of like glimpses into scenes I feel that I’ve experienced.’ She then went on to tell Lafayette about her visit to William’s home and the odd feelings of recognition she had recalled. ‘And you’re sure that you have never been in the house before, not even seen pictures through your work in real estate?’ he asked. ‘No never, old Jessie Compton had lived there for years and never seemed to have many visitors and definitely never had the property on the market so how could I know what the bedroom was like? And that small room with the trap door?’ she asked.

‘You mentioned that you had very strong feelings about that trap door and crawl space, can you tell me what you were feeling, and what was it that upset you about William going down there?’ She thought hard about it. It was a very good question, why had she felt almost panicked when she saw him standing there looking up at her? ‘I felt that I had seen him in that situation before’ she gasped as she recollected the emotions the sight had made her feel. ‘And in that previous situation can you tell me what you were feeling at that time?’ he asked. Trying to remember what it was she felt, she concentrated for a few moments before saying ‘I think that I didn’t want to let him go, that I was sad because we couldn’t be together, I ….I wanted to be with him always. Yes, to be together always and never be apart. Forever….’ she whispered. 

She was crying now, the emotions of the situation she had described had overwhelmed her. ‘I think that I felt really sad because he had to go down the trap door and I couldn’t follow him but I just don’t know’ she finished. ‘Sookie it’s all right. You are doing really well. I think we’ll call it a day right now but I want you to do something for me. Any time you have these kind of episodes again, just write them down with as much detail as you can recall. And write down how you were feeling at the time. Can you do that for me?’ She had composed herself now. ‘Am I going nuts’ she asked anxiously? He laughed, ‘No you’re not going nuts, what you are experiencing is a normal reaction to a traumatic situation and don’t worry, we’ll work through this. I can help you with it so I don’t want you to worry about any of this. What you need to do right now is to get yourself healed physically and we’ll take care of the other stuff’ he smiled.

She felt relieved as she sat on the bench outside waiting for William to pick her up. Hell, at least I’m not going nuts she thought to herself. She thought again over the various instances where she had these recalls and tried to remember how she had been feeling at the time. Over all she thought they weren’t really bad experiences, in fact a few of them had been down right hot and she had definitely not been terrified. She was curious now after talking to Lafayette, she wanted to know more and above all she wanted desperately to find out whether all of this was influencing her feelings for William.

As if right on cue William pulled in to the curb, jumped out and opened the door of the car for her, mock bowing a little as he did. She got in clumsily as her leg was still awkward to manoeuvre. ‘So where will it be?’ William asked with a laugh at his poor imitation of a cabbie. ‘Do you want to go straight home or are there any errands that you need to do. I’m at your disposal for however long you want me’ he said sincerely. At that moment she had an idea. ‘William how about we stop in at Merlottes on the way home? You said you would like to get to know everyone and I know just about everyone that goes to Merlottes and seeing the late afternoon work crowd will just about be due to come in how about I introduce you around a bit? Is that okay, I mean that’s if you want to and you’re not in a hurry to get home?’ she questioned.  
‘Merlottes it is’ William smiled. 

‘Do you want to go grab us a table while I just say howdy to my buddy Arlene behind the bar?’ she asked as they walked in. The place was already jumping with all the regulars sitting at their tables or playing pool. Merlottes was a Bon Temps institution with all the locals and everybody bar none loved Sam. Arlene let out a squeal of delight when she saw her. ‘Well girl’ she said with a wide grin ‘it is just so good to see you up and about. Terry and I came by the hospital but it was when you were out like a light. We were all so worried about you. That no account Rattray trash’ she said, her face red with disgust ‘I know that you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead but well, honey after what happened I am glad they’re not around anymore.’ That was Arlene for you; she just said it like it is.

After chatting for a few more minutes with Arlene and having had a bear hug from Sam, Sookie turned to look for William. She stopped dead her tracks when she saw him sitting casually over to the side in a booth, watching her with his piercing blue eyes. She walked slowly over as if in a dream, her heart was racing and her breath was coming in short pants. She had seen this before, felt the excitement of seeing him sitting there for the first time, mesmerising her as she walked. Time was standing still, she knew the room was full of people but she didn’t hear a sound, all she was focussed on was his face as he sat there watching her, his mouth curved into a seductive smile, his blue eyes shining in his pale porcelain face. Reaching the booth he held out his hand and taking hers she sat down. 

‘Sookeee’ he said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookies visit to Merlottes results in a revelation about William.   
> Examining her feelings she comes to a realisation.  
> An unexpected visitor leads to an unexpected but cherished gift.
> 
> As usual all the True Blood characters will be returned unharmed to Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris however William is mine.

‘Sookie? Sookie, are you all right?’ William was asking. Snapping back into reality she gulped. He was still holding her hand in his and she could feel the warmth of his soft touch as he stroked her finger tips. She felt electric shocks shooting through her, his face close to hers looking intensely at her. ‘Sookie are you okay? You were miles away’ William asked again. ‘Yes sure’ she said trying to focus. ‘Would you like me to take you home?’ he was saying a little concerned. ‘I’m okay honestly. I’m sorry I was so distracted I guess I was a little overwhelmed coming here’ she finished. ‘Please don’t worry about me, really I’m fine’ she said but all the while she was staring at William trying to remember she didn’t know what?

The moment was broken as she felt a pat on the back and looking up, she found Jason beaming at the couple. ‘Hey Sook it’s so good to see you up and around. William, good to see you man’ Jason smiled while holding out his hand to shake Williams. ‘Sookie, William, you all remember Jess?’ he said by way of introduction. Well, she thought, Jason sure put his hospital visits to good use. At the same time she was really pleased to see Jessica with him instead of the usual girlfriends he seemed to attract. ‘Do you mind if we join you for a drink before we head out for dinner?’ Jason said a little sheepishly. Well here’s a first she was thinking, Jason never takes a girl to dinner, the most any girl could usually hope for with Jason was a quick burger and serving of Terry’s special chilli fries washed down with a beer. Hmm, he must be serious about her she thought smiling. She really liked Jessie and realised that she would be a perfect match for him, keeping him on the straight and narrow so to speak.

The two couples sat chatting while sipping their drinks. After some time Sookie and Jessica excused themselves and in the ritual that still baffles all men, they went to the powder room together. As soon as they were through the door Sookie took Jessica’s hand and gave it a small squeeze. ‘So how long have you two been seeing each other?’ she asked smiling, ‘A little while’ Jess smiled shyly back. ‘Hmm a little while huh?’ she was laughing. ‘Anyway, you can talk. What about you and William? I just so love listening to him talk, that accent…it’s like it could charm you to pieces’ she shivered, ‘there’s something sort of glamorous about it, something …’ she laughed. Sookie giggled, ‘I know what you mean. It’s like coffee coloured silk, soft and rich and just so incredibly sexy.’ They both sighed and giggled again. Returning to the table Jason immediately launched into speech. ‘Sook it’s still early and the reservation for Chez Lucien that Jess and I have for dinner isn’t until eight o’clock so how about you two go home and get changed and join us. I’ve already run it by William and he’s interested’ Jason chuckled, ‘so how about it?’

At that moment Sookie’s attention was caught by two new comers who had walked in, namely Pam arm in arm with Dr Ericsson. Making eye contact with Jess, she gave a slight nod of her head in the newcomer’s direction. Jess leaning in so she couldn’t be over heard whispered in Sookie’s ear, ‘Poor Pam, she’s so in love with him but I’m not so sure he feels the same way.’ Sookie’s eyebrows rose questioningly. ‘To be honest, and please don’t say this to Pam, but I had the distinct feeling that he was more than happy being your doctor’ the implication making Sookie blush with an uncomfortable feeling that Jess was quite right in her assumptions. He had seemed very attentive. At the time she had put it down to his beside manner but now she wasn’t so sure. ‘You have to admit that Rolph Ericsson is one good looking Swede. You can just see the Viking blood fairly popping out of his skin’ Jess commented as Sookie watched the new couple being seated at a table close by.

Turning back to the table she felt William’s eyes watching her closely and blushed an even darker shade of red, as though she’d been caught sneaking a peek at something she shouldn’t. She looked at his face and for a fleeting moment thought he bore an expression of hurt or even resignation. She recognised that look of sadness but it wasn’t William’s face that she had seen it on she realised, it was her dark lover’s face that stood out like a pale mask of betrayal that she was remembering so well. ‘So Sookie, what do you say? Will you join us for dinner or are you too tired. I don’t want to tire you out’ Jason was saying ‘and I’m sure William will get you home safely won’t you?’ he questioned, giving him a friendly nudge and a wink. ‘I’d be happy to if that’s what Sookie wants’ he said quietly. 

‘They make a nice couple’ William said breaking the silence of the journey home. The dinner with Jason and Jessica was over and although Sookie had enjoyed dressing in something a bit more formal, putting her hair up, makeup on and going out, she had felt William’s reserve and was hurt by it. After his confession this afternoon had awoken deeper feelings for him, she had thought they would be closer but tonight she felt a gulf between them and didn’t understand it. Thinking back over the night looking for reasons, the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile. 

William’s change of mood had been a direct result of her looking at Rolph Ericsson, William was jealous she realised with a sigh of relief and she almost laughed out loud at the thought. Oh lord I’m acting like a teenager, he thinks I like Rolph. ‘What’s so funny?’ William asked miffed. ‘You, you are.’ ‘And why would you say that?’ he said in a most dignified English accent that only sent her into further peels of laughter.   
They had stopped in the driveway of William’s house as he had invited her to have an after dinner coffee. Getting out of the car William quickly moved to her side of the car, opening the door to help her out. She stood looking up into the light of the full moon shining down, bathing the lawned area is a silvery shimmer. 

Closing the car door, William stepped over to where Sookie was standing gazing at the moon. He stood looking at her, drinking in her presence before stepping in front of her. ‘Take your clip out’ the whisper of a memory so profoundly life changing sending shivers through her very core. Her dark lover, as she had come to call him, stood in front of her as she slid the clip from her hair. ‘May I’ he questioned before touching the soft tendrils of silver drifting around her face, gently leaning in to take in her fragrance before stepping back shaken. ‘I can smell the sunlight on your skin’ he had rasped as she gazed at him. Stepping up to him, gently caressing his face, she pulled him in to softly meet his lips before the passion of the moment took them both. He stepped back turning away panting, then turning again she saw his mouth open, his fangs drawn. 

William softly said again ‘Take you clip out’ and gently mirroring that other world, Sookie let her hair fall down around her shoulders in a halo of silver. She stood looking up at William, his face blending with that of her other lover, the moments seemingly intertwined, woven in some kind of dance in time. He leant down tenderly and with the slightest of touches brushed his face in her hair and neck, drinking in her scent before taking her in his arms and kissing her. Unlike their previous encounters this embrace was all consuming, the intensity sending waves of desire coursing through them, William holding their bodies locked together, his hardness sending Sookie into a spiral of need. ‘You have bought me back to life’ William said frantically kissing her lips, her face, and her hair before gently kissing her wounded neck. The heat of his lips sent her pulse racing and her neck throbbed in recognition.

As much as William desperately wanted to take her, to fill her with his love and touch her soul, he knew that he couldn’t. She had not healed enough and her emotional scars were all too obvious. Looking at her standing there, his desire was almost too much but he would wait, there was time enough. ‘Don’t you want me’ she asked in a small disappointed voice when he stopped himself. ‘You know how much I want you’ he responded reaching for her hand to show her just how much he needed her. ‘I can wait Sookie, I want it to be perfect for you and for both of us’ leaning down and kissing her on her forehead.

As the days flew by melting into weeks after her release from hospital, her physical recuperation progressed but her mental state remained confused. She had physiotherapy twice a week to help strengthen her leg and her neck was beginning to heal although, at times it did throb. Funnily enough those times seemed to coincide with her visits with William and she laughed to her self thinking it was her pulse racing at the sight of him that caused it. She sat in the sun and worked on her tan, reading her books, realising that she was just as bad as Adele when it came to her literary tastes, she loved happy endings too but with a bit more spice and action to the story than she thought her Gran would. 

As she had promised Lafayette, she diarised not just her dreams and odd experiences but also her thoughts and feelings. It was no surprise that a lot of pages were being devoted to William and how she felt about him. She saw him almost every day now and on those odd days that he didn’t come over to visit and walk with her, for her rehabilitation he would tell her laughingly, with that musical tone to his voice that made her melt, on the days she didn’t see him she felt it deeply. 

Much to her embarrassment she also had a visit from Rolph Ericsson that left her feeling uncomfortable. He had dropped in unexpectedly one afternoon as she was lying out on her sun lounge in her ‘short shorts’ the ones for sunbaking only, and her bikini top. Adele had shown him around to the side yard where Sookie was relaxing. She did not hear his soft tread and was startled when rolling over she found him standing watching her. She caught a look in his cool Atlantic blue eyes that she found disconcerting. There was something familiar and menacing about the look in his eyes. Was it her imagination or did she catch a glimpse of want and more than that, was it a fragment of possession?

She shook herself, the fleeting moment passed but left her pondering the reasons behind it. ‘How are you Sookie?’ Rolph asked as his eyes skimmed over her skimpy outfit, leaving her feeling undressed. Well he is a doctor she thought to herself, making excuses for his for his demeanour. ‘I just thought I would call in to see how you are feeling and check on your progress’ he said innocently enough. ‘Thanks Dr Ericsson, that’s kind of you.’ ‘Please, call me Rolph. I’m not on duty now’ he said his smile lighting up his face. For the first time she noticed that really he was a very handsome man. He was dressed in a black tee that suited his blonde Nordic features and did nothing to hide his finely sculptured body. Hmm, I can really see what Pam would be so entranced with she thought. 

She realised that Rolph was once again watching her as if he could read her thoughts and she blushed. ‘Please I’m being rude, can I offer you a cold drink?’ she said to cover the confusion she was feeling. ‘No thanks, I really just called in to see if you were healing and as I can see, you definitely are’ he said running his eyes over her body with a not too orthodox glance that lingered uncomfortably on Sookie’s thigh. Sookie again had the unmistakable feeling of recognition and squirmed a little. ‘Would you mind?’ Rolph asked as he stepped closer indicating her leg. ‘I, well…’ but Rolph had already kneeled down at the side of the sun lounge and was gently examining her scarred leg. 

She couldn’t help but give a small involuntary shiver as his hands ran up her thigh. Her leg was still very tender and sore from the accident and even though she told her self not to be ridiculous, Rolph was good looking and it had been quite a while since she had been touched by a man, but regardless he was still her doctor. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out his face but that just made the whole situation seem more erotic. ‘I own you, you will be mine’ the cold manipulating voice was wafting through her mind with such conviction that she was almost afraid of it. She felt trapped and panicky as she tried hard not to hold onto the fleeting glimpse of the unfamiliar scene playing in her head.

‘Hello’ William’s smooth voice broke into Sookie’s thoughts as she hurriedly opened her eyes to see him emerge from the tree line and stand next to Rolph. ‘Dr Ericsson’ William said nodding ‘good to see you again’. William was looking at Sookie with comprehension, as though he could feel her alarm and had come to her rescue. At the sight of William, Rolph’s face had changed to ice, his blue eyes cold as the Nordic seas. It was clear that he was not happy to see William at all and more than annoyed at the intrusion into his visit. As she had felt before in the hospital, there was something between these two attractive men, something more than just a rivalry for her affections. Sookie had the feeling there was something a lot deeper in their feelings of animosity towards each other, it was contempt and it was on a palpable level.

‘I just came over to make sure you were still able to come tonight?’ William asked pleasantly enough. ‘Yes, sure that’s fine’ Sookie said not quite sure what was going on. She had no idea what William was talking about but felt relieved that he had shown up when he did. She was still feeling shaken by the latest flashback and really what she needed was time on her own to think things through but neither of her suitors seemed to want to be the first to give ground, both standing eyeing each other like two dogs ready to start fighting. Enough is enough she thought, and abruptly standing she said to them both ‘Well I’m off to have a shower and change, pick me up at seven William’ and turning, she went inside.

‘What on earth was all that about?’ Sookie questioned as soon as she was in the car when William picked her up later that evening. William looked serious when he replied ‘Honestly, I just came over to see if you’d like some company tonight and I got the feeling that you weren’t too comfortable with Rolph so I umm… said the first thing I could think of.’ ‘You know you’re right. I am not sure why but he does sort of make me feel a bit naked’ she said, unable to look at him. ‘Do I make you feel that way?’ William asked softly. She felt a thrill race through her and before thinking about what she was saying she replied, ‘No you don’t, but I wouldn’t mind if you did’ as she grinned and covered her mouth, embarrassed she had actually told William what was going through her mind at the time. 

William positively smirked, his eyes sparkling at her. ‘Oh Sookie, I do want you so much’ he said with feeling and lifting her hand kissed it, sending more tremors through her. She let out her breath and William could see that she was feeling the same need for him as he felt for her. She did want him and wanted him badly but her feelings for him were more than just physical. She was truly falling in love with him and although she wasn’t sure, she did think that he may care for her but something was holding him back. She didn’t know what it was and was too scared to push him, the pain and loss of his wife and children being fresh in her mind.

She had never felt like this in her life. She thought about him constantly now. She had given up trying to read her novels as every mention of the heroine’s lover conjured pictures of William’s face in her mind. Every detail of each obligatory love scene had William on bended knee asking for the hand of the deserving but poorly put upon leading lady. He was Mr Darcy to her Elizabeth, Rochester to poor little Jane, Heathcliffe to her Cathy and Aragorn to her Arwen. The mere hint of a sex scene sent her into spirals of lust, her heart beating fast and the rest of her body in overdrive. She was aching for him, it was a need she had not experienced for any other man with the exception of her dark lover. 

She could describe the way he would look in every situation, his expressive face clear in her mind. The way his mouth would form tiny little creases at the corners when looking at her or the way his lips were formed in perfect symmetry like a delicately sculptured statue of perfect proportions, all complimented by his creamy English complexion with its scattering of tiny pale freckles across his nose and cheeks. She basked in the penetrating stare of his blue eyes framed by his soft gossamer eyebrows and she felt the sadness in those same blue eyes when she would catch a momentary glimpse, as if hiding a wealth of pain. 

She loved his polished English manners, his reserve in front of those he did not know well, his sense of humour, quirky and different. She knew the musical laugh of his happiness over some small shared moment of pleasure. She loved his honour and integrity and knew that but for his sense of duty to a stranger, she would not be alive. She felt the tragedy of his circumstances and admired him all the more for getting on with life instead of giving up. She loved him for his caring and compassionate nature. But above all she just loved him for his own sake, for the unidentifiable spark of something that he had that she could not put into words. He had said to her that she had bought him back to life, when truly he had given her life on all levels, for what had she been without him, she had simply been waiting for life to come to her. And now it would seem that it had.

The night was soft and balmy as dusk drew its midnight blue velvet curtain over the end of the hot summer’s day. Sprinkled through the sky, stars glittered like random sequins scattered across the inky backdrop. William drove them to a small lake on the edge of Bon Temps. During the day it was a popular spot with all the locals for safe swimming and picnics but tonight William and Sookie had the peaceful spot to themselves. Spreading a blanket on the thick grass beneath a tree at the edge of the water, she sat with her back leaning against the trunk with Williams head cradled in her lap, the quiet sounds of the night surrounding them. 

He sat up and reaching into the picnic basket he had packed with wine and snacks, he produced a beautifully wrapped small package and handed it to her. She looked at him with total surprise as she carefully opened the delicately tied ribbon and wrapping paper to reveal an ornately embossed silver box. Opening the catch on the box, she found it contained the most exquisite antique silver bracelet and matching long chain. ‘Oh William they are so beautiful’ she said touched. ‘They have belonged in my family for many years, for generations in fact’ he was saying while he placed the bracelet on her wrist. ‘I want you to have them Sookie, I want you to wear them always so that even when apart, we are together.’ 

She was wrapping the long silver chain around her neck in loops when his low seductive voice chided ‘Oh but you have other very juicy arteries, there is one in the groin that is a particular favourite of mine’ as his darkness engulfed her.


	6. Chapter 6

‘Oh William these are so beautiful’ Sookie quivered as she fingered the silver chain around her neck and wrist. The remnants of her dark lover lingering in her thoughts, combined with the emotion of the moment were becoming overwhelming. Her neck and leg were throbbing as her pulse raced. Her dark lover had been resting against a tree trunk, seducing her with his words, his mouth, his eyes, and his body but moving now in a blur, he was there in front of her inches away from her face. 

Her eyes were locked with his, gazing into two pure pools of the deepest blue. She was unable to move, transfixed as she was by those eyes and his nearness, pulsating danger and darkness, tempting her, luring her. ‘What are you?’ he asked her as though puzzled by her, searching her eyes, looking into her soul. ‘My name is Sookie Stackhouse, I’m a real estate agent. What’s your name?’ she asked unable to breath, the closeness of his body sending shivers through her that left her trembling. ‘Bill.’

‘Sookie I want you to promise me you will wear them always, will you do that for me?’ William questioned. ‘Oh William yes, yes I will always wear them.’ He was kneeling in front of her, as close as Bill had been just moments before or was it an eternity ago she didn’t know, she was living with two lives intertwined but separate, her two lovers sharing her. Now with one swift movement William took her in his arms. ‘William please, I want you so much’ her eyes were swimming with tears, her emotions out of control.

He was kissing away her tears but each kiss inflamed her even more. ‘William make love to me, please just take me’ she was almost begging. ‘Sookie not yet, not here’ he said continuing to kiss her, his desire becoming unbearable as they were locked in to an embrace, bodies moulded together clinging in their passion. William knew that it was up to him to stop but try as he might, he was rapidly losing control. Her soft groans as he kissed her were driving him crazy. He was on the brink of taking her, his need so demanding that, in his passion, he had kissed her neck and she flinched in pain.

He pulled away immediately and they both dropped back panting. ‘I’ve got to get you home’ he rasped as he tried hard to calm himself. She nodded, unable to speak. ‘Did I hurt you?’ he asked full of remorse, after gaining some composure. Sookie, whose nerves were jangling and jumping, was still shaking. Her body was twitching and she was still feeling the effects of her desire coursing through her. ‘I am alright. You didn’t mean to, I guess you are right, I am still a bit sore but William ….. I can’t wait much longer. You know I need you so badly. I have never needed anything as much as I need you,’ the desperation in her voice causing it to tremble. She was thinking of her other lover too waiting patiently in the shadows for her to come to him again. 

Taking her gently now in his arms, William kissed her head tenderly saying ‘I know my love, I know.’ Her heart pounded in response to his words. She looked up into his face as he cradled her, searching his eyes for the truth to his words and finding it in the light of his beautiful eyes. ‘Oh William I love you so much. I have never loved like this before, this all consuming madness that I feel for you. I never thought this could happen to me.’ Kissing her softly he brushed her cheek again. Neither wanted to move but it was getting late and the air had become cooler. She shivered and William draped his jacket over her shoulders to keep out the chill.

‘Will I see you tomorrow?’ she asked as William stood holding her close to him. They were standing on the front porch and had been for some ten minutes, both reluctant to say their final goodnights to each other. ‘You can count on it’ he was kissing her again. She knew that Adele was still up and would be wondering about the time but she also knew that as far as Adele went, William could do no wrong. They lingered for another ten minutes then finally parted after many more kisses and lingering looks.

Sookie felt like she was walking on clouds as she entered the lounge room to find Adele sitting in her favourite chair, a book in her hand.

‘You love him very much don’t you child?’ It was more of a statement than a question as Adele scanned her face and couldn’t help but notice how Sookie was fairly glowing with love. She nodded in response unable to answer least her voice betray the true depth of her feelings. ‘I am so happy for you, he is a good man.’ Sookie held out her wrist to show her the bracelet and fingered her chain. ‘Oh my, that is so beautiful and why, it looks like an heirloom. Sookie, William must love you a lot to give you these’ Adele said with so much pleasure and awe. ‘You know that I am not an expert but I would think that these are very valuable. Child I am so happy for you.’ she said once again, hugging her.

Before going to bed she carefully took off her chain and bracelet and headed for the shower. The warm water flowed over her, cascading down her body, caressing it softly like a lover’s hands. She gasped as long fingers reached around her neck from behind, pulling her into her dark lover Bill’s hard muscled body. She groaned with pleasure as their bodies fused into one, his hand holding her still as his movements became quicker and harder, pinning her to him in a joining of souls. She opened her eyes and the warm water of the shower was growing cold. She had no idea how long she had been standing there. Oh William she was thinking, her heart still racing; I need you so much, I can’t wait much longer.

She was fortunate, her insurance company was paying all her medical bills and she had been wise enough to take out special income protection insurance to cover just this type of situation, so she was really in no hurry to get back to work before she was totally healed. Her time was her own for the moment, apart from continuing on with her regular physio sessions and she had also been seeing Lafayette too. She had more or less become resigned to her flashbacks and the dreams of her dark lover Bill. Hell you can get used to anything when you don’t have a choice she thought, but she still wrote down her day to day feelings and her reactions whenever she had one of her ‘other world’ experiences. Her sessions with Lafayette and their conversations had increasingly become focussed around William and her feelings for him.

‘My but you look positively glowing’ Lafayette commented as she walked into his office the next morning. She radiated her happiness throughout the room. ‘William?’ he questioned. She simply smiled. ‘Tell me about what’s happening for you.’ Sookie trusted Lafayette. She knew that he was trying his best to help her and she had no qualms now sharing her inner most thoughts with the unconventional man in his exotic finery. Today’s outfit topped even the purple tee he had been wearing on their first meeting. His retro black tee with gold embossed Marilyn Monroe screen print and matching metallic gold sneakers was heady stuff for little down town Bon Temps but she loved it and was comfortable with his outgoing appearance.

Sookie talked of the depth of her feelings for William and how much she had come to care for him. Her obvious newly found happiness was a result of the progression of her relationship and understandably Layfayette was interested in it. ‘Apart from being on cloud nine, which you obviously are’ Lafayette smiled ‘have you had anything else happening in your life, any more flashback or dreams?’ he questioned, reading her face closely for any signs of the anxiety she had been displaying in her previous visits. 

Her thoughts immediately shot back to the previous day and Rolph's visit to her, shivering a little as she remembered the encounter and the words that echoed in her mind. ‘What is it?’ Lafayette asked sharply, immediately picking up on her vibes. She recounted with reluctance the event, not sure if it was entirely ethical to speak of a doctor with another medico. She noticed too that Lafayette’s expression had changed at the mention of Rolph’s name. He too seemed to have very mixed feelings about the ‘Viking’ doctor and she wondered if there was some kind of connection between the two of them, some kind of past history that he was remembering himself that made him uncomfortable too or was it just her imagination? This did nothing to alleviate her discomfort. 

‘What was it that made you feel so uncomfortable? Was it his obvious interest in you? Were you feeling threatened on a sexual level by him looking at your body or was it in relation to the words you were recalling?’ he asked. ‘I think that it was everything. I did feel disturbed, well maybe that’s not the right way of putting it. I have to be honest here right?’ she questioned. ‘Okay if I am being honest, I did kind of feel an attraction to him, when he was examining me. I … umm couldn’t help it. It was … you know, just a kind of weird situation to be in out in the sun in my shorts and top, completely relaxed then he arrives out of no where and …’ she hesitated before continuing ‘he is pretty attractive, if you like that type of guy.’

‘But it was more than that wasn’t it Sookie, more a feeling of perhaps guilt; feeling that way for another man when your feelings for William are so strong?’ he asked. ‘Well yes, it was almost as if Rolph was making me feel that way almost against my will. I mean he was doing it on purpose, deliberately. Then when I heard those words, “I own you” I kind of felt I’d heard it all before and had been tricked or manipulated into it and that I was being unfaithful. I don’t know, I’m finding this very hard to explain’ she ended. 

‘Lafayette, what I say here stays here right? I mean there’s no need for anyone else to know about this is there? I mean well, for instance you wouldn’t tell William what I said about Rolph?’ she questioned anxiously. ‘Sookie this is strictly between you and me. I am here to help you deal with anything that you would like to talk about. I don’t judge, I just listen and when I can, I try to help’ he smiled. She looked at him relieved. 

For once she did not mention the flashbacks she had involving Bill. She was finding it hard to call him Bill in her mind as she had thought of him as her ‘Dark Lover’ for so long. Now that she knew his name she somehow felt that it was personal and private. She knew that she was being silly about it but she didn’t want to share her experiences relating to Bill with anyone. Her feelings about him were so strong, she realised that she felt almost the same feelings for Bill as she did for William, just on a different level she told herself. Coming back to the present she thanked Lafayette for helping her before leaving. The issue with Rolph was the only small dark cloud on her horizon that seemed to represent any threat to her happiness and she was going to make sure that he wasn’t going to be raining on her parade any time soon she thought.

As William was busy that morning with the plumbers who had finally installed the long awaited hot tub and were now putting the finishing touches on the rest of the bathroom that she was still yet to see, she had arranged to meet Jessica at Merlotte's for a lunch. Arlene gave her usual shriek of delight when seeing her and Sam was extra careful not to hug her too hard in case he hurt her but stood beaming at her never the less. Sookie was feeling good and life seemed to be cruising for her she thought, as she sat surrounded by her friends while she waited for Jessica.

Once Jessica arrived the two girls were soon chatting and enjoying the chance to catch up. They had been talking for quite some time before she noticed the diamond ring on Jessie’s left hand. Interrupting Jess mid sentence she grabbed her hand ‘Tell me, my crazy brother, did he get this for you?’ Jessie looking shy and embarrassed could only give a small nod. ‘Oh Jess, I am so very happy for you. I just can’t believe it’ tears springing to her eyes. ‘We were going to wait until fall but thought why wait, life’s too short you know’ she was smiling. ‘Just wait till I get a hold of him, he should have told me, after all I am his only sister’ she said with mock anger. 

‘What about you?’ Jess asked as she noticed the bracelet and chain that Sookie only took off when she was bathing. ‘Did William give you those?’ Sookie blushed then smiled. ‘You love him don’t you?’ Jess said with a knowing look on her face ‘Yes, with all my heart,' she replied seriously ‘I could never imagine my life without him now.’ Jessica’s face clouded over a little. Sookie noticing asked ‘What is it Jess?’ ‘I was just thinking of Pam.’ ‘Pam? What about Pam?’ ‘Pam and Rolph broke up and she is absolutely shattered. She didn’t come to work for over a week. She looks dreadful, she can’t sleep, can’t eat. When you said just now that you couldn’t picture life without William it made me think of how Pam must be feeling. I feel so sorry for her’.

‘Jess what happened?’ ‘I don’t know, she can barely even speak about it. Whenever she tries to she becomes so upset she just stops. From the little she has managed to talk about all I can gather is that Rolph is in love with someone else or that’s what Pam thinks. She had told me before that she had noticed Rolph has changed over the last three or four months, maybe longer. She said that she first noticed around about….’ Jess stopped and looked uncomfortable. 'What, what is it? Come on Jess after all we are going to be sisters.’ ‘Well do you remember what I told you about Rolph?’ Sookie’s heart sank, she knew what or thought she knew what was coming, but until Jess confirmed it she couldn’t be sure.

‘Sookie have you seen Rolph, I mean has he been to see you?’ ‘He has called a couple of times when I have been out and just told Grans he was calling to see how I was doing. And he did come over yesterday, he said he wanted to see how I was progressing. Why?’ she asked looking Jessica in the eyes. ‘Sookie I know that you aren’t naïve. You know why don’t you?’ Sookie was squirming now. She could feel Rolph’s eyes running over her body again. She could see the look in his eyes and more than that she could hear that voice echoing through time; I own you.

‘I’m sorry Sookie, I hadn’t planned on telling you this but it just kind of came out. In a way it is better that you know, at least you can be on your guard now.’ Sookie looked at Jess with alarm. ‘What do you mean on my guard?’ ‘Well, for all that Rolph is a professional with responsibilities to his patients physical well being, I don’t think that he is the type of man that is used to taking no for an answer. In fact, from things that Pam has told me in the past about their relationship, I know that he isn’t the kind of man that will stop until he gets what he wants.’ 

Sookie was a little frightened now. There was something pulling at the back of her mind that she found familiar about this scenario, something reminiscent of one of those ‘other world’ events that she was sure had happened but she just didn’t recall. Well one thing about Rolph, she wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to come anywhere near her if she could help it.

Saying goodbye to Jess and promising to say nothing to Adele yet about the engagement, at least not until Jason gave the okay and told her himself, Sookie drove over to William's place. She had only started driving again this week after so long and the freedom gave her back some independence that she had sorely missed. She had enjoyed being chauffeured around by William and she had definitely enjoyed his car, but she was not used to having to rely on others so she was now happy to be back behind the wheel.

William came to the door a sorry sight and stood on the porch. He was covered in cobwebs and was extremely dusty but the smile lighting his face at seeing her made her overlook his bedraggled state. His whole face was transformed with happiness as he lifted her off her feet and spun her around laughing that musical laugh she loved, all the while kissing her with a passion. She was laughing too just for the pure joy of the greeting. ‘Oh it feels like a life time since I saw you’ William was saying as he planted kisses on her face, her hair, her eyes and her lips. ‘William!’ she laughed ‘it was only last night but I do know what you mean’ she said responding to his mood.

‘Come on, I want to show you something’ he urged excitedly as he put his arm around her waist and walked in side. ‘Now just what have you been up to’ she asked with some curiosity. Going into the room on the left of the hall that would normally have been a dining room but was temporarily converted into a makeshift office while the renovations were underway, he walked over to his desk and picked up a small tarnished frame, holding it out to her with great pride. 

‘What is it?’ she asked as she took it from him. Looking down at the daguerreotype Sookie was startled at the faded image. ‘Where did you get this?’ she demanded of William, ‘where did you get this?’ she asked again with emphasis. William was taken aback by the tone of her voice. ‘I found it’ ‘Where did you find it, where?’ Her voice was urgent now. ‘Sookie what is it, what’s the matter?’ he was asking her, truly startled by her demeanour. ‘I found it in the crawl space in that little hidey - hole room’ he simply said. 

She hadn’t taken her eyes off the miniature. Her face was white as a ghost, she was shaking and clammy. The room was spinning as she looked at the face in the frame staring back at her, a face that she recognised instantly, captured in a frozen moment of time. Dressed in his confederate soldier’s uniform and surrounded by his long dead wife and children, it couldn’t be, she couldn’t understand it. The realisation hit her, his face swimming before her eyes, William caught her as she swayed and lifting her lightly carried her upstairs laying her on the familiar bed, the miniature of Bill left fallen on the floor where she had dropped it.

Turning to go and get water she moaned. ‘Don’t leave me William, please don’t go.' Scooping her up in his arms he rocked her gently, soothing her like he would with a scared child. ‘Darling I’m not going to leave you but you must let me get you some water then we’ll talk,’ shushing her fears. He was gone only a minute and gently lifting her, he lay on the bed with her in his arms as she slowly sipped at the glass. 

‘William you have to promise me.’ ‘Promise you what darling?’ ‘Please promise me that you will never go down there again. I couldn’t bear it. If something happens to you it would break my heart.’ ‘Darling nothing is going to happen to me. And there is nothing down there to be afraid of, it’s empty and there was nothing down there except the miniature that I found.’ ‘Please just promise?’

‘Sookie you know that I will do anything, anything that will make you happy’ he said earnestly. ‘I love you William’ she said scared at her own words and at what his reaction might be. 

He was looking at her scared small face wearing all its hopes and dreams for all the world to see. He had not said it before, he had been holding back. He had wanted to make sure, he couldn’t risk it, he could not let himself believe but he felt differently now, he wanted to believe so much. He was almost convinced that finally, he was safe. 

‘I love you too, more than you can ever imagine’ he whispered softly now, but she didn’t hear him. She had fallen into a peaceful sleep in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

The afternoon had drawn into the evening. The shadows were long and cast deep pockets of twilight in the corners of the room amongst the old heavily carved bedroom suite. Sookie woke with a start, disorientated with sleep. For a fleeting moment she didn’t realise where she was but then she felt William’s soft hands cupping her breasts, his body wrapped around hers as she lay curled against him while he dozed. He too had fallen asleep as he held her, comforting her, watching her face so peaceful and serene. 

The touch of his hands through her thin cotton top radiated penetrating warmth through her to her core. His sensuous fingers curled around her, holding her gently to him. She lay perfectly still least she disturb him but it was almost an unbearable torment to her. She could feel his arousal pressed against her as his quiet breathing gently rose and fell in his sleep. 

Her need overcame her and she moved slightly, pressing herself into him as gently as she could without disturbing him, but it only made it worse. Placing her hands over his she gave the slightest of squeezes and even that was enough to tease her into a higher state of distraction. Oh lord she thought, I am nearly ready to burst. Just as she was becoming totally desperate in her need for him he stirred slightly. 

She tightened her grip on his hands and began moving them. William still half drowsy, automatically responded pulling her tightly to him and began rocking into her while slowly reaching into the scooped neck of her top. The touch of his fingers on her skin as he slipped his hand into the lace of her bra made her moan, her nipples aching to be caressed. 

Breaking his embrace she rolled onto her back invitingly. He was on his side gazing down at her face now as she looked up at him, all signs of his sleep vanished. Leaning down he kissed her, his tongue expertly exploring her mouth. As they lay there with mouths locked together, she guided his hand back to her. Lifting the soft lace as his fingers skimmed lightly across her searching, finding and then, with the barest of touches, he stroked her erect nipple and she moaned with each delicate movement of his fingers. She wanted him and she wanted him now and she new that he wanted her. 

William did want her, he wanted her desperately. He felt the need just as much as she did and had fought with himself over the previous weeks to keep it in check but he was fighting a losing battle. His body was not listening to his head and neither was his heart. He knew only too well they couldn’t go on much longer like this, each wanting the other so desperately without one or both of them breaking. 

He had been in a constant state of arousal for days, for weeks. Whenever she was near him, she only had to look at him and he felt that tug of want and need shooting through him. He had tried for so long not to let her even get a hint of it least she feel that he was just another one of those types of men who only wanted a woman for one thing. He despised that sort of thing. He was not like that. He loved her and it had taken a lot for him to break down the shields he had built around his tormented heart over the last several years… to let his guard down and love again.

Now, lying there feeling her, his resolve finally shattered into fragments and he could no longer fight it. Although still fully clothed, this only adding to the eroticism of the moment, William lifted himself to lie on top of her but as she moved her leg he saw her grimace with pain. ‘I can’t do this’ he said as he quickly lay back on the bed. ‘Sookie your leg and neck are still healing. I can’t cause you any pain. You do see that don’t you. I want it to be perfect. You deserve for it to be perfect and if that means that we wait, then we wait. You do understand how I feel don’t you?’ he said pleading with her for understanding.

She looked into his eyes with tears spilling down her face. But she wasn’t crying tears of frustration, they were tears of realisation. She knew in her heart what he was feeling was how she would feel for him at the thought of inflicting any pain. If the position was reversed and it was William who was injured she would cut off her arm rather than cause him any hurt.

‘I love you Sookie’ he said looking into her eyes, his heart racing at his own words, the relief of the admission flooding through him like a dam bursting. She was tingling all over and her heart was pounding. She felt that she had waited an eternity to hear him say it and know that he meant it, that is was true. They lay their in each others arms for some time, like two lost children just holding the other for the sake of it, before he broke the silence. ‘I never thought that I could ever say that again’ he said softly to her. ‘I never dreamt that I could be this happy’.

There was something about hearing a man saying that, let alone William saying it, that touched her heart. ‘I never believed it was possible to love one person as much as I love you William.’ ‘You are everything to me Sookie, everything. If the world was to stop right now, right at this very moment I would not care because I have met you and loved you. If we live a thousand life times you would still be the love of all my lives. You are my very heart and soul. I would die a thousand deaths just to have you for a brief moment in time.’ 

Sookie’s cell phone rang and reaching into her handbag that William had bought up earlier, she grabbed it and hurriedly answered it, more than annoyed that it had broken into the moment. ‘Sook where ever you are and what ever you are doing drop it and get your ass over to Grans. We’re having a party. I’m engaged!’ Jason’s voice full of excitement yelled down the phone. ‘And get William’s ass over here too’ he laughed as he hung up before she could say a word. ‘Come on, we’re going to a party’ she laughed, ‘So I heard’ William laughed back. 

The house was lit up like a Christmas tree by the time Sookie and William arrived. By the amount of cars parked all over Adele’s front yard you would have thought that all of Bon Temps had been invited and knowing Jason they probably had been, she thought as she surveyed the house. ‘Sook!’ Jason yelled at the sight of her as she and William walked up the front steps of the porch. ‘Where have you been all afternoon? Oh, I know’ he gave William a nudge that nearly sent him down the steps and winked. 

William blushed with embarrassment at Jason’s implication and Sookie turned red as a beet. They stood like two naughty children who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. The afternoon and earlier this evening had been such a full gamut of emotions that they were both feeling stretched. Their reactions didn’t go unnoticed by Jason and set him wondering. He had never seen his sister as serious about any man before and because he genuinely liked William he was happy for her. Jessica walked up to join them at that moment and Sookie couldn’t help but throw her arms around her and give her a kiss. ‘I am just so happy for you’ she smiled. ‘Why thank you Sookie you know how much that means to me.’ 

‘Why don’t you come upstairs with me while I get changed into something a bit more party like’ she said taking her hand. ‘William I won’t be long’ she said smiling up at him. Uncharacteristically for him, normally so reserved in public, he leant down and kissed her lightly on the mouth and she left him standing with Jason. The little scene that had just played out had not gone unnoticed by other party members and one in particular had taken more than an interest in watching the various participants. Unnoticed by Sookie and William, Rolph had been standing over in the corner of the porch watching the events unfold. 

He was standing in the shadows arms folded across his chest. Dressed in a pale blue crew neck top over his grey silk pants, he was drawing more than a few admiring glances from the single female inhabitants of Bon Temps, his blond hair and blue eyes going down a treat with the likes of Maudette Pickens, Dawn and even Arlene who snuck a few glances when Terry wasn’t looking. Arlene had managed to get a sitter for Mikey and the children and was determined to enjoy one of her few infrequent nights out with Terry. 

‘Help me to pick out something to wear?’ she said over her shoulder as she and Jess were going up the stairs. Quickly going through her wardrobe, Jessica suggested a pale mauve shantung sheath with cross over straps at the back to show off her tan and emphasise her shoulders. Jess helped roll her hair into a French roll and pinned it up for her. The silver chain and bracelet that William had given her finished the ensemble and slipping into silver sling back stilettos she was ready to re-join the party as soon as she freshened up her makeup. 

While sitting at the mirror adding the final touches Jessica told her that Rolph was at the party too. ‘What’s Rolph doing here?’ she asked midway through putting on her lipstick. ‘Well Sookie, you know your brother, he’d run into to him this afternoon after we had broken the news to Adele and she’d insisted on holding this get together and well, before I could stop him he’d invited him. But that’s not the worst of it, I’d already invited Pam’ Jess said looking very unhappy about the whole situation. ‘I’ll try to do my best to keep them apart so there won’t be a scene but if you could help out that would be great’ she said hopefully.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t let anything spoil tonight for you’ hugging her she led Jessica back downstairs in search of William and Jason who were still standing on the front porch deep in conversation. As Sookie stepped through the front door William half turned and looking over his shoulder, seeing her standing there looking so very beautiful, he gave her the most smouldering look and dazzling smile. He truly took her breath away she thought. He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen and standing there in the navy silk shirt and matching navy pants he had changed into before leaving for the party, the colour of his eyes fairly shone as he held out his hand to draw her into his side, before slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. 

Sam arriving with Tara bought supplements to the ever decreasing bar that he had help set up earlier. He had closed Merlottes for the night so he could attend the party and being realistic, he new that with Jason’s popularity there wasn’t much point in staying open when every man and his dog was going to be here. Tara looked stunningly happy as she clung to Sam’s arm and Sookie noticed that Sam was looking the same. 

When Jason and William offered to give Sam a hand unloading his pick up Tara, with her usual knack, dryly observed to Sookie ‘Hmm there seems to be a lot of love going around Bon Temps at the moment’ as her eyes followed William then came back to rest on her friend's face. ‘Girl you are positively glowing with it’. At that moment Rolph took this opportunity, in William’s absence, to speak to her.

With a movement like a cat pouncing on its prey, Rolph was at her side making her jump. ‘You are looking good enough to eat this evening Sookie’ he said softly into her ear. 

‘I own you, you will be mine’ filtered through her brain as her heart pounded. They were standing upstairs in her bedroom and she was undressed, naked but for the night gown in her hands she was attempting to use as a cover for modesties sake. ‘You will be mine’. ‘Eric, how did you get in here?’ she heard herself questioning him in a frightened voice.

She looked up into his eyes, fearing to see the same look she had just encountered in that other world from ‘Eric’ but she was mistaken. He was smiling at her, his face softened and if anything, was eagerly waiting for her response. She gulped, ‘Rolph hello, nice of you to come, you know Tara don’t you’ she said desperate for a diversion so she wouldn’t have to see his face, feel the honest admiration she could see plainly written all over it. He didn’t answer immediately, he was distracted and looking in the direction of his gaze, she saw Pam standing alone struggling to hold back tears that were threatening to spill down her face.

Her compassion flew out to her and hurrying over she led her into a quite spot in the garden where a small wooden bench sat deserted. ‘Oh Pam, I’m so sorry I…’ ‘It’s okay Sookie honestly’ she replied choking back more tears. ‘Pam I don’t want you to think that I…’ Pam interrupted her, ‘Sookie I know it’s not your fault. It was just seeing that look on Rolph’s face that did it. I know that you have been going out with William, Jessica told me and I know that you haven’t given Rolph any encouragement but you don’t know him. Once Rolph sets his mind on something nothing can stop him until he gets it. I should know it used to be me that he wanted’ she said unhappily.

Sookie said nothing, she sat and listened while Pam talked of her feelings for Rolph and the relationship they had. It was gut wrenching for her to listen to. She pictured how she would feel if William ever left her for another woman, she would just die. She couldn’t even think about it and anyway, she knew that he wasn’t like that. He was a one woman man but listening to Pam was just horrible, what kind of a person would do that to someone that they love? She shuddered at the thought of it. She couldn’t bear it and she couldn’t bear to see Pam suffering. 

Eventually Pam cried herself out and was composed enough to make it to her car and go home. Sookie pleaded with her to stay as she was worried about her being on her own but staying with Rolph there was out of the question for Pam, so promising that she would call her and let her know that she was alright, Pam left as she turned to make her way back to the party. But before going more than a couple of steps Rolph was hovering over her.

‘I am sorry that you had to witness Pam’s distress’ he said and before she could say anything he continued on. ‘Sookie, it isn’t what you think. I don’t know what Pam has told you but I can guess. Just let me go on before you say anything.’ He was standing over her, looking down at her. He was so close that she could pick up a slight scent of his cologne, a musky erotic fragrance that set her pulse racing. ‘I know what it is like to have your heart broken. I would not inflict that kind of pain on anyone. You must believe me’ he said quietly. She looked up into his face and saw that he was as sincere as she had ever seen him. His eyes had something in them, a kind of pain she had not expected to see in Rolph. ‘I own you’ the words came flooding back to her, at odds with Rolph’s demeanour.

She gulped, she was out of her comfort zone and torn between this sincere good looking man standing there and the other frightening spectre she had felt so threatened by. ‘I have to get back to the party Rolph’ she said ‘Please excuse me’ and left him standing looking longingly after her in the middle of the lawn. She found William and Adele having a chat together as she made her way through the crowd. William had been looking around for her anxiously. He seemed relieved when she returned to his side and stood holding her by the waist. ‘Are you all right’ he asked ‘You’re trembling.’ ‘I’m just a little cold, I think I’ll go and get my wrap’ she said trying hard to regain her composure, ‘I’ll come with you’ he smiled as he excused himself to Adele and followed her up to her bedroom.

William had never been in her room before and was struck by the simplicity of it. He looked around taking everything in, from her simple dressing table with its little knick knacks to her small almost child like bed. He stood by the door while she looked for the matching pale mauve chiffon wrap that was light but warm enough to keep off the chill. William watched her, enjoying seeing her moving around her room before coming back to the door. He pulled her to him as she went to pass and kissed her. ‘I have wanted to do that so much, you look so beautiful’ he smiled.

He kissed her again, pulling her into him as he leant over, arching her back so their bodies met. William held her to him. They were both enjoying the moment a great deal but knew where this would lead. ‘We have to get back, someone’s bound to notice that we are missing’ she sighed. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have started this again but I just couldn’t help myself. You do have that effect on me you know.’ ‘I can’t begin to tell you the effect you have on me William Compton’ she teased before dashing out of the room laughing.

William chased after her laughing too, reaching her at the head of the stairs he once again wrapped his arms around her while kissing her fiercely. Turning, they were still laughing as they walked arm in arm downstairs until they reached mid way when they both stopped. Staring from the corner of the hallway, Rolph stood lounging against the wall looking up at them with icy cold blue eyes. They continued down the stairs no longer smiling. The look on his face had sobered them and Sookie had noticed William had gone a little pale.

Reaching the foot of the stairs as Rolph stepped forward, nodding a small terse greeting in William’s direction, he stood in front of them blocking their path. ‘William, how are you old sport?’ he said coldly. ‘Rolph’ he replied before attempting to move past him with Sookie on his arm. ‘Come William, that’s not very sociable, is it?’ Rolph said half sarcastically and half threatening. Again she was struck by the animosity between the two. She could feel the tension between the two of them almost at snapping point. 

William opened his mouth to say something then seeing Rolph’s raised eyebrows and glance at Sookie, he thought the better of it and remained silent. It was Jessica who came to the rescue at that moment ‘Jason is going to make a speech, come on Sookie and William, he wants you both there for moral support’ she laughed taking Sookie’s hand and leading her out to the front porch where everyone was gathered. As they moved out the door Sookie turned to see William deep in conversation with Rolph, his face ashen in colour. She couldn’t hear what was being said but she could see the expression on his face.

William looked stricken.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the engagement party Sookie glimpses that other world and is left shaken. 
> 
> My many thanks go to HBO, C Harris & Alan Ball who I find have just as twisted minds as I do. 
> 
> William is my own, he is mine.

‘Will I see you tomorrow?’ Sookie was sitting on the porch railing, her feet dangling like a child, William with his arms wrapped around her to keep her from falling. ‘I have some business I have to take care of in the morning, why don’t I call you when I am finished then we can spend the rest of the day together?’ he smiled. ‘Okay, sure’ she replied. It was late and everyone had finally left. Jason’s speech had gone down a treat with many cat calls and hollering, snide remarks about him finally succumbing to the lure of future matrimony and many good wishes for them both.

Everyone loved Jessica and as much as they all liked Jason, they were all hoping that Jessica’s caring and practical nature could tame Jason’s wild and wayward ways. It had been agreed by one and all that they certainly made a cute couple and even Dawn and Maudette had grudgingly conceded that Jessica had done what they had failed to do and that was give some stability to Jason’s life. 

Ever since she could remember Jason had been a tear away, always acting before he thought. But she had to admit that he had a heart of gold and never disrespected his elders, was always polite and well mannered and had always been there for her whenever she had really needed him. 

Of course they had their differences. Jason at times could be so dam protective of her to the point of distraction and that was more of a hindrance than a help, particularly with boys as she was growing up. Jason did have a pretty fearsome reputation when it came to his fighting ability and Sookie seemed to always bear the brunt of his overly hot headed nature. On more than one occasion Jason had scared off potential boyfriends but if they had really been interested in her nothing would have stood in their way, so she never really took it to heart that his interference had lost her any great love of her life.

Now it was different. Jason genuinely liked William and William liked Jason. He seemed to bring out the best in people she noticed. She couldn’t help but smile at how much more polite Jason was when he was around William. He had even offered to help him out with gardening advice as Jason’s professional firm of landscapers had won awards across the state for their renovations of historical gardens and for their new innovative designs too, mainly due to Hoyt Fortenbury’s artistic qualities. It was a first for Jase, he never ever gave out free advice to anyone, well not about landscaping anyway. 

Adele had insisted on leaving the clearing up until the morning and Sookie could see that although Grans had thoroughly enjoyed herself and was absolutely over the moon with happiness for Jason and Jess, it was late and she was looking a little tired. As Adele said goodnight she was delighted that William kissed her on the cheek and wished her pleasant dreams. ‘Oh my’ she said touching her cheek where he had kissed her, ‘oh my, I certainly will’ she giggled like a smitten school girl as she left the two of them on the porch.

Sookie smiled at William. He certainly has won Grans over she was thinking. Come to think of it, he was the first man she had ever bought home that Adele had really taken to. She had thought at first that it was because he had saved her life but now, looking at the two of them together, she realised that it was something more. She thought about Adele, there was something special about her. She had always thought that; from the time that she was little and Grans and Grandpa had become the substitute parents to her and Jason when their own parents had died, she realised that she was one of a kind. But now, even as an adult she still felt there was something special, something unique. Adele liked everyone and everyone adored her but it was more than like with William, she noticed. She genuinely cared for him.

Sookie and William had not had a chance to talk since the incident with Rolph and she was unsure how to broach the subject. She did not know what was going on between them but she could not get the look on William’s face out of her mind. She couldn’t get a handle on it but thinking about it, the look was almost one of fear. What could William have to fear from Rolph? It didn’t make sense. Maybe she was just imagining it, with all the other stuff in her mind it wouldn’t surprise her.

She yawned, it had been a long eventful and emotional day. William could see that she was tired but he lingered. She thought that he had started to speak and then stopped himself, looking at her more than once with sadness. She was over tired she thought and although she couldn’t help it, she yawned again. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, you go straight to bed now, you are tired’ he kissed her again making her groan with pleasure. ‘You are so bad, how do you expect me to go to sleep after that?’ she laughed playfully smacking him lightly on the arm. 

After he left she did go straight to bed. She was so tired now that she yawning her head off. As she was dropping off to sleep her cell rang. ‘Goodnight darling’ William’s quiet, low, velvet voice whispered to her, ‘I just wanted to wish you sweetest of dreams my love.’ ‘Oh William, please let it be soon.’ ‘It will be my love, it will. Goodnight sweetheart’.

She lay drifting before sleep finally took her. She had been thinking of William and all that had happened today. Around and around her mind swirled with Jason’s engagement, the daguerreotype and the shock of seeing Bill’s face - her dark lover as he really was in reality, a soldier and family man. But he was more than that, he had darkness in him now; no she couldn’t think of that, she couldn’t bear it. Her thoughts shifted, Rolph’s face appearing soft and caring then melting into a threatening mask of intimidation. William’s face appeared pale and sad, full of regret and despair. Then once again her thoughts changed and she saw William’s face full of love and longing. It was her last thought as she finally drifted into a deep sleep.

She stood at the open front door staring. Rolph was standing on the porch looking at Bill. Her dark lover stood there pleading at her with his eyes. No, it wasn’t Rolph it was him but he was different, cold, calculating and menacing. Then he struck, not with his fists, they would have done less damage than the words he spat out. ‘Why don’t you tell her Bill?’ ‘Eric!’ Bill exclaimed fearfully. ‘Tell me what? What are you talking about?’ she said with alarm. Fear rippled through her now, fear and something else, a different kind of terror, something so unbelievably horrible that she almost swayed. ‘Why don’t you tell her why you really came back to Bon Temps?’ Eric smirked. She shuddered as she looked at Bill’s face with dread, her heart shattering as his blood tears coursed from his eyes.

She woke with a start, her heart pounding. She could hear Adele up and about pottering around, giving the place a thorough going over, clearing away the general debris that always accompanies these events; a testament that a good time was had by all. Glancing at the time she realised that she must have slept very late for it was well after ten in the morning. She had been so tired last night, the emotions of the day taking its toll and although it was late, she didn’t feel truly rested. She remembered the dream she had and shivered. It had left a lingering feeling of dread on her and looking at the time again, she decided that she would grab a quick shower then call Lafayette to see if she could arrange an appointment with him before William called her.

After a hot shower and picking at some late breakfast, she called Lafayette’s number only to get his voicemail. The message said that he had gone out of town and if the matter was urgent it gave the number of a counsellor in Munroe who was covering for him. She did not want to talk to a stranger and so she was at loss. As she didn’t have a physio appointment today and she hadn’t made any other plans, after helping Adele with the rest of the cleaning she went out into the garden with one of her books simply to kill time while waiting for William to ring.

She was just settling down on the sun lounge when a familiar voice greeted her. ‘Well hi there girl.’ Tara was smiling at the surprised look on Sookie’s face when she saw her. ‘Seeing we kind of didn’t get the chance to catch up last night and as I’m on vacation with the school closed and all, I thought I would just come for a visit. God knows I love my kids but teaching a class of 35 ankle biters is sure tiring’ she laughed. ‘So, how are you?’ Sookie was smiling. ‘I’m good’ she said looking intently at her friend’s face. Tara looked good, she looked better than good Sookie thought. She looked healthy, relaxed and there was something else about her but she couldn’t quite pick up on. 

‘Come on girl, spill the beans. I want all the juicy details, this is me you are talking to Sook, we’ve been friends since we were kids together, hell you know that you can tell me anything’ she cajoled. Sookie smiled ‘Tara! Honestly there’s nothing to spill’ she blushed. ‘You mean to sit there and tell me that you and William haven’t done the deed?’ she asked looking incredulous. She was truly embarrassed now. If she lived to be one hundred she would never get used to Tara’s open and inquisitive mind. She knew that she meant no harm and only had her best interests at heart but she sure could ask some down to earth personal questions at times. 

‘What the hell’s the matter with him?’ she questioned. ‘Tara it’s not like that. It’s not what you think.’ She knew she just wouldn’t get any peace if she didn’t provide an explanation and was touched by Tara taking umbrage to what she thought was an insult to her friend’s desirability. ‘Really Tara, it isn’t what you think’ Sookie replied. ‘He wants to wait…umm, until I am completely healed. He wants it to be ….perfect’ Sookie said, unable to look Tara in the eye in her embarrassment.

‘Sookie, does William have a brother cause I sure would like to meet a man like that? Not that I’m complaining, I’m sure Sam would be exactly the same if I was in that position’ she said smiling a wistful little smile half to herself. ‘So, what about you and Sam? You two have been going out for quite a while now’ Sookie observed. This time it was Tara’s turn to look embarrassed. ‘Well Sook, you know that was really what I was coming over to talk to you about. I tried to last night but we never got the chance and there were too many people around. That nosy Maxine Fortenbury seemed to be hovering every where and listening to everything that’s none of her business.’ ‘So what did you want to talk to me about’ she asked looking even closer at her friend. There was definitely something about Tara that was different and she just couldn’t put her finger on it. 

‘Sook I have a favour to ask you and please just feel free to say no if you don’t want to do it and I will understand completely’ she said a little anxiously. ‘Tara, come on now, like you just said, we have known each other since we were babies. We have been through thick and thin. Why we even survived puberty together so just spit it out and ask me’. Taking a deep breath Tara blurted out in one quick gush ‘Sookie I want you to be Godmother to my baby and Sam agrees too.’

Sookie sat speechless. You could have knocked her down with a feather. It was the last thing that she had been expecting to hear from Tara even though she has always felt that she was going to make the greatest Mum in the world. Tara’s background had been such a sad one. Throughout their childhood Adele had been there for her just as much, if not more than her own Mother, trying to set some kind of good example for her. Blood is thicker than water and under the circumstances, it would not have been a surprise to anyone to find her turned out just like her Mother had, and that wasn’t good. But as it sometimes happens, Tara’s strength and determination to make something of herself and not follow her Mother’s path saw her through all the tough times and she had succeeded in rising above her circumstances. Educating herself, settling into a stable relationship with a steady hardworking man and now, she was going to be a Mum. 

‘Sook you’re scaring me, say something’ Tara frowned. ‘Oh my stars’ she exclaimed. ‘It would be an honour to be Godmother to your baby. Oh Tara, you are going to make such a wonderful mother, I just know it.’ ‘Thanks Sookie’ Tara beamed. ‘We have been trying for a while, well practising a lot anyway’ she laughed ‘but this sort of just happened and well, we couldn’t be happier’. ‘Are you going to get married?’ she asked curious about the situation. ‘Hell no, well at least not yet, not until after the baby arrives and then we’ll see.’ 

They sat talking for a little while longer, mostly about Jessica and Jason and local gossip then Tara left to have a late lunch with Sam. Sookie went in side to tell the good news to Adele and noticed that it was after two o’clock, a lot later than she thought. She had been so caught up talking to Tara that the time had flown and realising that she was suddenly missing William very much, and eager to tell him about Tara’s news, she decided not to wait for William’s call so she left Adele reading and walked over to William’s place to surprise him. 

She knocked on the front door and stood patiently waiting. She thought she could hear raised voices but couldn’t make them out clearly. After a few minutes wait the door was opened not by William but by a tall dark haired woman with amazing eyes and with a bone structure Sookie would kill for. She was stunningly beautiful and dressed immaculately, putting Sookie to shame in her little yellow flowered cotton sun dress and sandals.

‘Let her in Lorena; let her in’ William’s voice came drifting from the lounge room. She opened the door and stepped back to allow her to come in. Passing her quickly, she walked in to the room to see William sitting in semi shadow over in the corner. She hesitated momentarily, memory stirring, a similar scenario fleeting through her mind before she could grasp it. The difference being she thought, she knew it was her dark lover Bill that she had seen sitting in the corner, smouldering and seductive and not William. In the rest of the glimpse she had, she couldn’t recognise anything except for her feelings, and they were definitely far from pleasant.

‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your little friend William?’ the woman laughed snapping Sookie back the present ‘My, she is a pretty little thing isn’t she?’ Sookie’s blood boiled. Just who the hell was this person to speak to her so patronizingly she thought? She looked back across the room to William for an explanation, he hadn’t moved a muscle but went on sitting there in abject misery. 

She didn’t understand what was going on but she could see William was clearly upset. ‘Sookie this is Lorena, Lorena this is Sookie’ he said finally in an attempt to offer some kind of normal introduction and failing. ‘Oh William’ Lorena sneered ‘is that the best you can do?’ ‘Knock it off Lorena’ William snapped finally loosing his patience.

She was standing looking from one to the other, clearly trying to figure out what was going on and why William seemed so upset by Lorena’s presence and what she was doing there anyway? ‘Why darling William, you haven’t told her have you?’ she questioned, seeing the uncomprehending look on Sookie’s face. ‘She doesn’t know does she? Really that is just too bad of you’ she laughed delighted to see Sookie’s bewildered face and the torment on William’s. 

‘You know, he really is very bad not having mentioned me. I really would have expected him to tell you of his lover, the woman he was going to leave his wife and children for.’ A look of horror spread across Sookie’s face. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t want to hear this. ‘You know, he’s really not the man you think he is and he is definitely not the man for a sweet thing like you’ her voice cutting her like a knife to the heart. ‘Lorena’ William shouted. Sookie who had never heard William raise his voice ever, taking this to mean confirmation of Lorena’s statement, turned and ran out the door.

Blinded by the tears streaming down her face, it was not until she looked around her that she realised she had taken the wrong path through the cemetery and had some how managed to end up in the older, wilder, unkempt part that few seldom visited now. By this time, the afternoon that had been sunny and hot had turned and large rain spots had begun falling, threatening the start of a fierce summer storm. A loud clap of thunder heralded the breaking of the rain that showered down in torrents. Within a matter of moments the sky had turned black, the light failing in the heavily wooded area, and she was drenched. 

She had lost her sense of direction and the darkness had disorientated her. Still crying she had stumbled, jarring her still painful leg. She fell heavily to her knees, hands outstretched to break her fall. The silver bracelet William had given her caught on some thick ivy covering the broken headstone she had fallen on. In her attempt to untangle it she had to clear away the tangled mass and it was then a shaft of lightening broke through the clouds to reveal the name on the grave stone; William Thomas Compton Lieutenant of the 28th Louisiana Guards. 

Darkness surrounded her. She let out a whimper. Her heart was breaking. She had loved him so very much and now he was gone. She was alone, visiting his grave her only comfort. Standing up to leave she screamed as a hand clawing its way through the earth latched on to her ankle. She screamed again and again as it pulled her, dragging her, clutching her, then with sheer terror, a body emerged. He was alive, he was not dead, the fire had not taken him. He has come back to me my dark lover, my Bill. Take me, fill me with darkness, and never leave me. 

She was kneeling by the gravestone, reliving a moment of horror, joy and surrender in that other world. It was too much. It was all too much for her to bear. She could not think of her dark lover now. She did not want to think of William either or of Lorena’s terrible revelation. She just wanted to go home and she wanted to feel normal again. 

Above all she wanted to have her life back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie is shattered, living in a world of pain and heartache.
> 
> My thanks to the inventive minds of Alan Ball, HBO & Charlaine Harris, none of this little drama would be possible without their creative talents.
> 
> William is mine.

Sookie didn’t know how she managed to get home but she did. When Adele saw the state she was in, soaked through, covered in scratches and bleeding from stumbling through the rougher part of the undergrowth and extremely distressed, she insisted she had a hot bath and went to bed. Once in bed, Adele bought her a tray with some hot soup to take the chill out of her. She barely touched the soup and lay there not saying a word, just curled up in a tiny ball. Adele was scared for her. She didn’t know what had happened but she could see from the state she was in that she was in shock of some kind. 

She was living a waking nightmare. How could this be true? She had believed William to be a loving husband and father and it was all a lie. Was his love for her just a lie too? Could she ever trust him again if he had been keeping this so well from her all this time? Was this the reason for Rolph’s guarded conversations and obvious dislike of him, but what did it have to do with Rolph? Questions were spinning round her head, she couldn’t make her mind stand still.

Lorena’s smug vicious face haunted her. The cruelty in her voice wracked through her. And William, sitting in the shadows like some ghostly spectre so pale and fragile. He had always been so caring, so considerate and yet, she had felt that he had been different, fearful since seeing Rolph last night. Oh my god, she thought back to last night on the porch when she felt that he was trying to tell her something but changed his mind. Was this it, was that what he was going to tell her? She couldn’t bear it, oh please god make this stop.

As the black afternoon turned into dusk then merged into a deeper twilight, Adele sat by Sookie’s side reading by the light of a candle, the fierce lightening storm had temporarily knocked out all the power in the area. She was hoping that Sookie would talk to her but as the hours went on and she said nothing she began to fear that Sookie was taking ill. She had watched as the light in the room had faded, becoming dark and even in the soft glow of the candle light she could see that her colour had faded into a sickly pale as she had fallen into an uneasy sleep. 

Pushing hard against the door Sookie had quietly entered the room of the old slave quarters, not knowing what she would find. As she crept in she stopped horrified. Bill was lying chained to the floor and covered in his own blood. Her dark lover, so beautiful, subjected to this appalling cruelty. Silver strands of torture crisscrossed his beautiful body, burning hideous welts of excruciating pain into his porcelain flesh. She didn’t know how, but she knew he was barely alive, he was dying in front of her and there was not much time to lose or she would be parted from him forever.

‘Bill, Bill’ she was calling him desperately, as if calling his name would keep him from meeting the black shadow of death that hovered near by waiting to take him. ‘Bill Compton, don’t you die on me’ she pleaded. He could hear her calling to him. His cold dead heart stirred by the only thing that mattered in his long sorry life. With all the strength remaining in him he opened his eyes and tried to focus. ‘Sookee’ he rasped out barely a whisper ‘I am so sorry’ but he couldn’t tell her, he couldn’t tell her the truth. As close to death as he thought he was, he still clung to her love. ‘You’re sorry for what? I’m not going to let you die’ she said, tears spilling down her face and onto his chest as she leant over taking off the chains, the smell of burning flesh permeating room.

Then suddenly he let out a hiss and his fangs clicked. She was terrified. She had only had one glimpse before of his fangs and that had been the night they had stood on his front lawn in the moonlight and first kissed. It had been in the midst of passion but this, this scared her, terrified her. Suddenly there was a blur of motion around her and she felt the steel grip of cold hands thrust around her neck. Bill tried with all his might to move but he was still too weak and couldn’t. ‘Let her go Lorena’ Bill yelled with more force than he thought he could muster in the state he was in. 

Sookie was beginning to fade into unconsciousness. Lorena’s vice like grip on her throat choking her mercilessly. She knew that she had to do something and it had to be fast. Reverting to an old childhood trick, she stepped forward pulling Lorena with her in an attempt to get her off balance. As Lorena staggered, Sookie managed to step backwards with all her might, pushing her into a wooden hat rack, the hooks protruding from the wall. 

It worked; Lorena became impaled through the back of her neck. Unable to break away without it tearing her further, Lorena was stuck. This gave her the chance to look around the room where she saw a wooden stake normally used for gardening. Picking it up and turning she hesitated. Bill seeing her hesitation looked at Lorena with pity in his eyes. It broke her, it was not pity she had wanted from Bill, she could take anything, but not his pity. She looked at Sookie then back to Bill before saying; ‘Just do it’.

Sookie looked into the face of this woman she despised; she heard her scorn rippling through the ether ‘she doesn’t know does she? He is definitely not the man for you’ William’s stricken face flashed in front of her, the heartbreak she felt at Lorena’s words burning her brain like the chains burning Bill’s flesh, searing her with unbearable agony. With all her anger and disgust, pain and humiliation fuelling her strength, she rammed the stake through her heart before falling to her knees beside Bill.

Sookie lay groaning and mumbling in her sleep. She was sweating and feverish and wracked by bouts of shaking chills. Cool hands held her head but in the candle light, the face looking down at her turned into the cold mask of Eric’s image. ‘She’s delirious a soft voice was saying. I’ll stay the night if you don’t mind, just to make sure it doesn’t turn into anything worse. Can you tell me what happened?’ the voice questioned. ‘I don’t know. She came home this afternoon. She had been caught in the storm and was soaked’ Adele’s voice was full of worry. ‘What was she doing out in a storm like today? And what are all these scratches she’s covered in?’ 

The voices had faded as she fell back into unconsciousness. Hushed conversations drifted into her darkness as she hovered between light and dark but all the time the one constant in this twilight world were the cool hands holding her head like a life line from some other place. She tried to remember, struggling to see a face that she desperately wanted to see but the images in her mind blurred and faded, melting from one to another. She tried to call his name but not even a whisper came to her lips.

The pain was immediate. The minute that Mack Rattray kicked with all his might, she felt the air go out of her and the pain radiate through her. The kick to her back by his no account trashy wife deadened the pain in a way that scared her even more than the boots of her husband. She could no longer feel her legs. The scene melted into darkness until she found she was being lifted carefully and carried like a precious fragile thing of glass. She saw his face glowing in the darkness that surrounded them. Her dark lover, she was in the safety of his arms, Bill had saved her.

If she had not been in such distress she would have melted as she woke to the touch of Bill’s sensuous tongue gliding over her forehead. The eroticism of the moment was fleeting as she tried to focus on his face so close to hers, hovering with his blue eyes searching hers. ‘What are you?’ he questioned as his voice drifted and swirled around in her darkness. She tried to call him, wanting him by her side but the darkness over took her once again.

Sookie was running, she was running for her life. It was dark and the trees at the side of the road completed the darkness. She had no idea what she was running from but the hideous shape standing in the middle of the road behind her was catching up and catching up fast, then it struck her back with tearing claws, ripping through her skin and peeling her flesh. She knew nothing until she saw the fear on Bill’s face as she lay there with him urging her to drink. All she could see was the love in his eye’s glowing and willing her to live.

‘Try to get her to drink something. If she hasn’t improved by lunch time we will have to get her to hospital’ she could hear the soft voice saying. She opened her eyes into tiny slits, focussing clearly was not yet an option. She tried to speak but nothing came out, her voice was cracked and all she could manage was the slightest of whispers. The cool hand returned patting her head, gently comforting her and giving her the strength enough to open her eyes wider for the first time. 

She looked for his face then remembering with heartbreaking horror Lorena standing laughing and William’s shattered expression, it all came flooding back. Unshed tears streamed down as she looked up and saw the face that had whispered quietly through that in between world of consciousness and unconsciousness, gently touching her forehead. The lifeline she had held onto through those dark hours had been Rolph’s and in the flickering light of the candles his face was a beacon of comfort to her.

Sookie spent the next two weeks in bed. She had developed pneumonia and as she had not yet fully recovered from her accident, she was very weak. Every spare moment when not on duty, Rolph was by her side, even sleeping on a small portable cot that Adele had found relegated to the attic and dusted off for him. Adele would not normally have approved of a man sleeping in Sookie’s bedroom but this of course was different. Rolph was giving Sookie all the care and strength that she needed to recover and Adele was grateful.

The scratches and cuts to her arms and legs had healed by the time she had enough strength to come down stairs. Her legs were like straws and almost gave way as she attempted her first day out of bed. Rolph picked her up and gently carried her down the stairs to the living room, laying her on the sofa. ‘Thank you’ she said, her pale thin face expressing gratitude in a tiny smile. ‘You know you will be fine’ he said encouragingly. ‘I….’ she started to say what she was thinking and stopped.

I will never be fine, I will never get over this. I don’t feel anything anymore; only for my dark lover will I ever feel again and not yet, it is too soon to think of him lying in a cold grave, if that is where he is. ‘Thank you Rolph. Thank you for looking after me.’ ‘You do know that you can talk to me Sookie if you want to don’t you?’ he asked quietly. She remained silent. 

She had not spoken about William, not even mentioned his name to Adele and could not bring herself to think of him. She had never in her whole life, not even when her parents had died in a drowning accident when she was a child, had she experienced the pain she felt about William. She had of course heard the well worn cliché of a broken heart but she never realised just what that felt like, that you could actually physically feel a small tear in your heart that literally caused you pain. She knew what that feeling was like now. The sorrow was beyond belief.

Adele had not known what to do. In that first week William had rung everyday absolutely frantic about her but under Rolph’s instructions, he advised her not to mention it to her as she was so ill. With many misgivings Adele had kept quiet and as Sookie had remained silent on the subject she had thought it best not to broach it with her until she was ready. But still Adele remained disturbed. What ever had happened between the two of them must have been bad to have caused this trauma but Adele just could not believe that William was capable of hurting Sookie so much. She knew he loved her with all his heart and in matters of the heart Adele was seldom wrong. There must be some explanation for it but it was not Adele’s place to meddle, as much as she wanted to.

The first time she was able to get up and dressed by herself Sookie, with Rolph by her side, made her way out to her sunlounge in the garden. She was thin and pale and the glow that had infused her had gone. She lay out in the sun with her eyes closed, drinking it in. She felt a shadow momentarily drift across her closed eyes ‘I can smell the sunlight on your skin’ she heard Bill’s voice echoing. Tears ran down her cheeks. Rolph gently took her in his arms and rocked her as she cried shuddering, wrenching sobs. ‘It’s all right Sookie, it’s all right. Just let it all out. I am not going to let anyone else hurt you’ he said softly kissing the top of her head.

‘You really do know what its like don’t you?’ she questioned and for the first time since meeting him she felt some respect for him. ‘Yes’ he said quietly ‘I know what it is like to have all your hopes and dreams shattered’ he said with feeling. ‘I’m so sorry Rolph.’ From that moment on she felt a change in her relationship with him. It was almost as though through some common bond, sharing their own pain, they had overcome a blockage and they could now relax in each others company or at least she felt she could. 

By the end of the next week she was almost back to herself health wise. She was still thin of course and fairly weak and although she spent a lot of her time lying in the sun soaking up vitamin D, she had not regained that spark to her. That was gone and she doubted it would ever come back. With William no longer in her life, she knew she would never have that kind of all consuming love again that she had felt for him. Instead of the light radiating from her, those that knew her would say she appeared more wistful and was given to periods of silence. It was three weeks since that terrible day at Williams and she had not seen him once in all that time.

Rolph was her constant companion now. He was slowly trying to bring her back to life with some normality, even planning a surprise evening out for that Friday night. He did not tell her in advance where he was taking her for her first evening out but just said he would pick her up at seven. When they turned into Merlottes parking lot that evening she genuinely smiled for the first time in a long time. She had to admit that it felt pretty good to be dressed up a little and she had paid particular attention to her hair and makeup, feeling self conscious about the way that she looked after her illness. 

Walking in she was greeted with a welcome by all her friends but she could tell that there was something not quite right. As Tara hugged her she noticed a slight look of apprehension on her face that made her look around. And then she saw him, sitting in the booth to the left, just like before, his blue eyes staring at her, watching her every move. This time however, William’s face was different. She could see it too was drawn and pale, as though he had gone through a serious illness and not recovered. 

His head snapped back as though he had been physically hit by a blow when he saw Rolph take her arm and lean down quietly to whisper in her ear ‘Do you want to leave, we don’t have to stay you know’. She had been staring back at William before she had noticed that he wasn’t alone. For a moment her heart stood still when she saw a dark haired woman in the booth sitting opposite him but then she realised that it was not Lorena, it was Portia Bellefleur. 

With what she could only hope was the most dazzling smile that she could muster, she looked up into Rolph’s eyes and said ‘Rolph, there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t stay and enjoy ourselves’ and taking his hand they moved off to find a booth at the other end of the room, Sookie sitting with her back to William in an attempt to ignore him.

Tara was sitting at the bar and had a bird’s eye view of all the participants to this little drama. She could see William’s face as Sookie had taken Rolph’s hand and turned her back on him. She was startled by the look on his face and it really shook her up. She had never seen anyone look so crushed. She watched as Sookie walked to the opposite end of Merlottes, sitting as far away as possible from him. Within five minutes William had left and Portia had moved up to the bar to sit near Tara and finish her drink. Tara was sitting shaking her head when Portia sat down. 

Tara and Portia had known each other for years, they weren’t the best of friends but they weren’t enemies either. Portia noticed Tara shaking her head and moved to the bar stool next to her. ‘He is such a wonderful man’ Portia said quietly to Tara. ‘It’s just so sad’ she said. Clearly Portia had something that she wanted to get off her chest and she thought Tara would be the perfect person to talk to. ‘I’m sorry Portia but I have no idea of what you are talking about’ Tara said. 

‘I’m talking about William leaving Bon Temps’ she replied.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sookie’s relationship with Rolph deepens, more than one person is not impressed.
> 
> Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris, my apologies for what I am doing to your wonderful characters and ideas but I do promise they will be returned unscathed if we ever finally get to the end of this story.
> 
> William is mine to do whatever I please with.

'William is leaving Bon Temps? But…’ Tara stopped mid sentence and looked across to where Sookie was sitting talking to Rolph. ‘When he’s completed his renovations that is and once he does, he plans to leave’ Portia explained. ‘You mean sell up and go?’ Tara questioned. ‘No, that’s the sad part. He is just such a wonderful person’ she sighed ‘he’s going to donate the whole estate to a children’s charity, he’s asked me to start looking into the legal side of things. He just loves children and of course he must miss his terribly, it was just so tragic what happened’ she finished.

Tara didn’t know what she was talking about and she didn’t know what had happened between William and Sookie but like Adele, she couldn’t or didn’t want to believe that what ever had happened could be as bad as all that. It just didn’t make sense but it was none of her business she figured, except that she loved her. She was the sister that she never had and she knew that if the positions were reversed Sookie wouldn’t hesitate to do what was right by her. But even after Portia had left, Tara sat there thinking. She watched her with Rolph all night and as they left together Tara said goodnight and hugged her, looking closely at her friend. There was just so much sadness in her eyes.

Rolph drove Sookie home and walked her to the door. She knew that Adele would still be up waiting to see how her first night out since her illness had gone. ‘Sookie are you all right? I know tonight must have been hard for you?’ he asked. ‘Thank you Rolph, thank you for everything, I don’t know how I would have made it through the last couple of weeks and I’m not just talking about my illness’ she said looking up into his face. He unexpectedly leaned down and kissed her. When she didn’t pull back he deepened his kiss holding her gently but making no attempt to take more than he felt she was ready to give. 

‘Good night Rolph.’ ‘Take care Sookie’ he said and walked back to his car. Just as she thought, Adele was waiting up for her. Judging by the length of time between when the car pulled up and when she came inside Adele suspected that Rolph had been dispensing a little more than medicine, however she refrained from questioning Sookie about her suspicions. ‘How are you child? If you are not too tired come over and tell me about your night out. Did you enjoy yourself?’ she queried. ‘Where did you go?’ she asked interested.

‘We went to Merlottes’ she replied with a small smile. ‘Did you have a good time? Who was there?’ Adele asked eager to hear all about it. Sookie sat staring at the floor, the tension of the night finally hitting her. Seeing William’s face, his eyes, the way his soft dark auburn hair fell slightly around his ears ….just being in the same place as him had nearly killed her. She had done such a good job of hiding it or so she hoped. No one would know how much pain she was feeling, not even Rolph who had sat watching her so intensely. He was being kind to her and it was almost a relief to go out with a man without feeling the intensity, the need, and the unrelenting passion that she felt for William, almost. She did owe him a lot and she had started to appreciate his company she supposed.

She realised that he was an extremely clever man. He had told her some of his past history, how he had up until a few years ago, been passionately involved in research . She wasn’t technically minded so she wasn’t too sure what he meant, plus try as she might, her thoughts had wondered to William as they always seemed to do now. It was hard not to go over and over what she was feeling but then half the time what she was feeling, if she was truly honest, was an aching emptiness. She was numb.

‘Sookie honey, what is it? Won’t you talk to me child?’ Adele urged. She looked at Adele with a blank face, all expression wiped clean and without emotion she told her, ‘William was there.’ That was all she managed to say. ‘I’m really tired Grans, do you mind if I go to bed and we’ll talk in the morning. Good night, I love you’ she said as she left the room. Adele sighed, something had to be done but what, she thought and should she even try to fix what seemed so broken? Was there even anything that she could do? She didn’t know if there was, but her heart was telling her that she had to do something. All she kept thinking of was Rolph with Sookie. She just wanted to tell her that ‘he’s not the man for you child,’ she thought. 

Sookie lay awake for a while reliving the night’s events. She felt her heart skip a beat every time she thought of seeing William sitting there in the booth looking at her. She died a thousand times over seeing that dark head and thinking it was Lorena. She had loved William more than she thought was ever possible. This was not some school girl crush or even a teenager’s first love. The loss of William was like a death, a physical pain. 

What was it that he had said to her ‘I never dreamt that I could be this happy.’ She had believed with all her heart that he knew what that feeling was like, that he was head over heels in love with her, as much as she was with him. How could she be this wrong? How could she trust what he had said to her if he had been going to leave his wife for Lorena and now Lorena was back? He had said that his wife and children dying had devastated him but how could that be? Everything just went around and around in her head, over and over again till her head pounded. Above all, above everything else, deep down in that hidden place where every one of us lives, she wanted him so desperately and she missed him so much that she ached just to be near him. It just hurt so much.

She dreamt of Bill nearly every night now but when she awoke each morning she could not remember what her dreams were about, instead she would find her pillow wet and her eyes puffy from crying. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse into the fragments of her night time other world but it was always Bill’s face crumpled in anguish, with blood tears spilling from his eyes as she stood by the front door, Eric’s accusations ringing through her ears, haunting her and causing her as much pain as the memory of William’s face did. 

She desperately wanted to talk to someone and she hoped and prayed that Lafayette would return but each time she had called his number the voicemail was the same, he was out of town and there was a fill in number provided. Sookie wondered about this but there was nothing she could do to shed any light on his whereabouts. So she continued on with her physio sessions, her illness having slowed her recovery a little, but that was the least of her concerns as she no longer really cared.

Rolph became a frequent visitor now, even though Sookie was technically over her recent illness. His attempts to bring Sookie back from her despair were painstakingly slow. He showed her nothing but patience and understanding. He was silent when he felt she needed it and at other times supportive in her endeavours to regain her life. Their friendship was evolving on a more personal basis. Sookie found him interesting. Rolph like William had travelled and did seem very cosmopolitan to her back water Bon Temps eyes. They went out to the movies together, Rolph careful in his choice of subjects, no sad romances only light comedies or sci-fi for which he knew Sookie had a passion for. They went to dinner together too and unbeknown to Sookie were now seen around town as a ‘couple.’ 

It was after one such night out that Jessica and Jason came by. Jessica had rung Adele beforehand to make sure that Rolph wasn’t there. She had not forgiven him for his treatment of Pam and even though Pam had seemed to have moved on with her life, she had even had a couple of promising dates with Hoyt Fortenbury, Jessica still felt that Rolph had a lot to answer for. She privately wondered about how convenient the break up between William and Sookie had been for Rolph but as she had nothing concrete to go on, she kept quiet believing it was her prejudice over his treatment of Pam that lead her to think like that.

She didn’t blame Sookie in anyway for the break up between Pam and Rolph, it was Rolph she thought responsible. She didn’t say anything to Sookie about him but she couldn’t help but look at Sookie with questioning eyes. Sookie didn’t mention William’s name and Jessica thought better than to say anything about him either. Jessica had seen him around town at times and had been shocked at how ill he looked. While in Jessica’s eyes Sookie seemed to be slowly returning to health, William wasn’t faring so well and it was really sad to see.

While Jessica kept her thoughts to herself Jason was not so circumspect. ‘Hell girl are you crazy?’ he yelled at her, confronting her over her break up with William. ‘Everyone has fights. Don’t be an idiot Sook. What ever it’s about I don’t know but I do know one thing, William loves you and you’d have to be blind not to see that.’ ‘Jason, just shut the fuck up’ she finally snapped. ‘You don’t know what you are talking about’ she screamed at him. Jason was shocked into silence. He just looked at her shaking his head. ‘You’re making a big mistake’ he said quietly now.

Sookie had never had this kind of conversation with Jason. Not in all their years of growing up together and it really shook her up. She couldn’t talk about it, not to Jason, not to anyone. For pity’s sake she couldn’t even talk to the one person that really mattered in all of this. She couldn’t even bring herself to talk to William when she so desperately needed to. More than anything else, she needed to see him and talk to him.

Adele had sat on the porch listening to Sookie and Jason. She hadn’t said anything but she knew that Jason was right. As grateful as she was to Rolph for all his care, she just hadn’t taken to him, not like she had with William. She sat thinking about what Jason had said and also the way Sookie had reacted so angrily. She knew her grand daughter and she knew her well, perhaps better than Sookie knew herself; Sookie would never have reacted like that with Jason if she didn’t still care for William and care very deeply. Adele then made up her mind about something she had been thinking of doing and excusing herself to them, she went inside and made some phone calls, the last of which she finished saying ‘Don’t leave it too long’ before she hung up. At least she thought it was better than doing nothing she sighed. It was worth a try.

Three days later as Sookie was getting ready to go to dinner with Rolph she noticed that Adele too was getting dressed in her best ‘Sunday church’ going out clothes, much to Sookie’s surprise. ‘Are you going out?’ she asked. ‘Why yes, didn’t I tell you? I have an extra special Descendents of the Glorious Dead meeting tonight’ Adele said beaming. ‘Tonight? But you only have your meetings during the day and what’s so special about tonight?’ Sookie questioned curiously. Adele smiled ‘I haven’t got a lot of time to explain my dear, I really have to be leaving soon before it gets too crowded.’ ‘Grans, what do you mean? Why is one of your meetings going to get too crowded? Normally you are lucky if you get a handful of the regulars showing up.’ Sookie said not meaning to be disrespectful. 

‘Oh my dear tonight is different. I am so looking forward to it’ she smiled again as she continued to bustle around gathering up bit and pieces she needed to take with her. ‘What’s so special about tonight?’ Sookie asked again, beginning to become exasperated at Adele not getting to the point. ‘Oh well child, you remember when you were in the hospital and the very first time you woke and William mentioned he had found a diary?’ Sookie could only nod in response. ‘Well William is going to be reading it to us and he’s bringing a daguerreotype that he found. Isn’t that wonderful?’ she questioned. ‘We will actually have a genuine account written first hand by one of our own, none other than by William Thomas Compton or Bill as he apparently preferred to be known as, and a picture of him’ she finished.

Sookie felt as though she had been punched. Scenes floated through her mind, a kaleidoscope of fragments; her dark lover Bill’s own written words, an account of his life, who he was and how he thought. Her heart was racing at the memory of holding the miniature in her hands, at the thought of his face so dark, seductive and alluring. Sookee, she heard his voice calling her. She knew that she had to go, was compelled to go. William would be there reading the words that would give her meaning to the other life that she shares with her Bill. 

At that moment Rolph arrived to pick her up. ‘I’m sorry Rolph’ Sookie said ‘but do you think we could just grab a really quick bite to eat then there is somewhere that I need to go to. Or perhaps it would be best if we made it another night, if you would prefer it?’ she questioned. It didn’t matter to her what Rolph’s reply was, nothing was going to come between her and hearing Bill’s journal. ‘Sookie what ever you would like to do is fine with me’ Rolph said accommodatingly with a smile.

Adele left to get all the preparations for the refreshments underway while Sookie and Rolph went to the local diner for a quick meal. Sookie seemed distracted to Rolph and he was a little put out when she announced that they were going to be spending the evening at some talk about a confederate’s diary. She had been deliberately vague about the whole night not wanting Rolph to realise that William was going to be there, let alone he would be giving the talk and she could hardly tell Rolph that her burning interest in the this evening’s events was the recollections of her dark lover. Only Lafayette truly knew how important he was in her life although William did suspect something from her reaction to the miniature and the other events he had been witness to.

Arriving at the hall Sookie realised that Adele had been right. The place was absolutely packed to the rafters. She wasn’t sure if this was a testament to the interest in the diary or William’s popularity, as Jason had made a point of telling her that William had been doing a lot of charity work for the town. He had apparently even made a considerable donation to the retirement home, all done anonymously but the Mayor had found out and been so impressed he had leaked this information to the local Bon Temps Gazette and they had run a front page article about him. All this had been news to Sookie but as all her family and friends had been at pains not to mention William to her, she realised that she had a lot to catch up on.

As all bar two seats in the front row next to Adele were taken, Sookie and Rolph had no choice but to join her, Sookie sparing Adele some very questioning looks about the seating arrangements. Adele whispered she would explain later as she went up to the stage to introduce the evening’s events. 

From the moment she had walked in the door Sookie had deliberately looked any where but at the stage. She knew that William would be seated there waiting to commence his talk and she knew that sooner or later she would have to look at him but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it yet. She had heard a sharp intake of Rolph’s breath when they had entered and looking up at the stage he had seen William and she could feel tension rolling off him as he held her arm escorting her to the front row seats but to Sookie it didn’t matter, all that was important to her was to hear her own dark lover’s words.

Adele mounted the stage and reached the podium, adjusting the micro phone to suit her she commenced her opening introduction. ‘Thank you, thank you all for coming. Oh my, it looks like nearly all the town has turned out tonight and I am sure that you are not going to be disappointed with this evening’s events’ she beamed around the crowd. ‘As I am sure you all know, a while back William came to settle in our little community of Bon Temps and I think that I can say on behalf of all of us, welcome William.’

Sookie had no choice now, she had been putting off looking at the stage long enough and she knew that she had to face this. With her heart pounding she looked up to where William sat. He was dressed in a deep navy coloured suit with a crisp white shirt and dark sapphire blue tie, the colour matching his eyes perfectly. Rolph holding Sookie’s arm glanced sharply at her as he felt her pulse rate quicken. He was glowering and if looks could kill, William would be dead on the spot.

William was looking at Adele, appearing to be unable to face the inevitable too, unable to look at the one face in the entire crowd that meant so much to him. Sookie took this opportunity, while William’s focus was centred on Adele, to really look at him. He was thin, much thinner than he had been and he looked pale and tired. Like herself, there was an air of melancholy about him, the spark of light she had so loved in his eyes had gone she felt, with a pang of sadness. He was still the most handsome man she had ever seen but now he wore that beauty with a new quality to him; resignation.

‘Since moving here’ Adele was continuing on ‘William has embraced us and become one of us. He has already donated a considerable amount to our retirement home enabling a new wing to be opened and dedicated to his ancestor’s but I am getting a little ahead of myself here. You will be hearing more about that as the evening progresses. Now before I hand the floor over to William I would just like to say something on a personal note’ she said indulgently. 

Sookie blanched, oh no what was Grans going to come out with? Surely she wouldn’t say anything about her and William, she thought with horror. ‘I just wanted to say that I am especially grateful to William for saving my dear grand daughter’s life after she was nearly killed in a road accident and I thank god every day for his coming here. Now won’t you all please welcome William?’ she finished.

All eyes in the hall had turned to Sookie when Adele had mentioned the accident and William’s heroics. Sookie had wanted the floor to swallow her, so unwelcome was the attention. The room erupted in applause as Adele left the stage and William rose to stand at the podium, making a small embarrassed hand gesture of acknowledgement to the crowd for their support of him. Rolph was seething and was making little attempt to conceal his antagonism towards William. 

‘Thank you, thank you all for the welcome and thank you Adele for your generosity’ he said humbly, his velvet smooth voice rolling through Sookie. Looking directly at Sookie for the first time since she had arrived, he went on. ‘As some of you know, I was the only living beneficiary of the late Jessie Compton. When I first came to Bon Temps I had not made any plans to stay here and seeing all the work that the family home required I was unsure whether or not it would be too large a task for me to undertake. But then something unexpected happened,I fell in love…..’


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting of the Descendants of the Glorious Dead has an emotional impact on all those that attend and on a few in particular.
> 
> With many thanks again to Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris. The things they put up with us doing to their characters!
> 
> William however is mine so he puts up with whatever I choose to do with him.

‘But then something unexpected happened, I fell in love….’ 

Sookie drew her breath in at William’s words. Her heart was racing as William continued ‘I fell in love….with Bon Temps and everything about it. I decided to stay, my heart was here and I wanted to call this home’ he was looking directly at her and she was feeling his words pulling at her ‘so I set about starting to restore the old homestead. I had found this diary not long after moving here, when cleaning out an old bureau in the bedroom and chance had it that I had mentioned it to Adele quite some time ago, so without anything further from me I am sure you are all anxious to hear what you have come here for tonight’ he said, clearing his throat a little nervously.

As William began to read Sookie was carried away to that other time but instead of seeing her dark lover as she knew him, she saw the family man, the simple farmer, the community member, church goer, husband, father and confederate soldier. William read of the day to day accounts of Bill’s life, the small triumphs of a new foal being safely delivered and a good crop to feed his family. He talked of the cruelty of nature and God’s will when a calf died at birth and when the rains failed one season, making food hard to come by. He talked with thankfulness of small mercies when the neighbours, the Stackhouses, had helped them out sharing their stored food and then the next year’s season, being bountiful, Bill returned the kindness to his gracious neighbours.

The diary account of everyday life in provincial Louisiana was painted with an eloquence that reflected the personality of the writer, warm, loving and caring, a decent human beloved by his family and respected within the community.  
He read of Bill’s fear of the coming war, not fear for his own safety but fear for his beloved wife and children and the changes that may come to their sheltered existence, to their very way of life that he loved so much.

Again and again the journal came back to the vivid descriptions of Bill’s joy and love for his family. The accounts of his marriage and the subsequent birth of his children, his hopes for them and his passion for his wife Caroline, with whom he professed his undying love, touching all those present in the crowded hall. Sookie sat fighting back tears as she felt Bill with her, silently urging her to understand who he had been and what he was now when he came to her in that other world.

Then came the war came and we shared his experiences. Bill was a farmer but he was considered to be one of the more influential members of the parish, having had a sound education and the brains to go with it. He called meetings and began to organize a company of volunteers from around the environs, farmers like himself, some more affluent, others from cracker stock. Although Northern Louisiana was under no immediate threat, the thought of invasion weighed heavily on the minds of all the local inhabitants, no matter what their standing in society and so it was seen as necessary to stop any invasion before reaching their homes.

Volunteers were called for and most of the companies that were formed at the time went to Monroe. Officers were elected and Bill found himself in the position of Lieutenant of the 28th Regiment from Northern Louisiana, known as the 28th Gray’s, after the commander Colonel Henry Gray from the parish of Bienville. The company then moved from Monroe to Vienna to train.

Bill wrote of his frustration with the lack of weapons, forced to drill with wooden rifles or even sticks and his concern that many of the troops would go into battle without even knowing how to fire a weapon. He re-countered the mounting toll that disease took on the company in September 1862 when only one third of the company could report for duty as the rest were all sick, mainly due to living in the swamps around the Monroe to Vicksburg railroad that they were defending.

In an entry from his diary dated Christmas 1863, he talked of the appalling conditions the troops were forced to endure from the extreme weather conditions. ‘We are surviving in the snow and the rain, no tents for shelter, the ground frozen, unable to even afford a warm place to sleep, one blanket making little difference to those huddled around the meagre campfires we attempt to build from the wet fuel.’

But it was the April 8th 1864 entry that shed an inkling to the plight of the regiment when in battle. ‘We went into battle today two thousand two hundred of us. The enemy were separated from us by but half a mile on a ridge on the other side of a ravine. The order was given and we advanced down the slope, crossing the bottom of the ravine and then up the other side, to face the Yankees in the tree line at the top.  
Oh Caroline my dearest, I cannot tell you of the horrors that lay behind me as I stood at the top of that ridge after the enemy had been vanquished.’

‘The valley, a sea of grey, blue and blood red carcasses scattered as if some bizarrely patterned carpet had been spread out for God’s amusement or shame. Of the two thousand two hundred of us that had woken this morning to face the horrors of this day, eight hundred husbands, sons, brothers, friends and sweethearts were gone within the blink of twenty five minutes, cut down in a hale of mini balls and grape shot raining down on us thicker than snow in a winter storm. There is nothing glorious about dying in a war, a bunch of starving freezing boys, so that the rich people can stay rich. Madness!’

Rolph looked at Sookie as he heard the sharp intake of her breath at the words, but she did not even notice. ‘There is nothing glorious about dying in a war’ she had heard Bill say to her, memories stirring. What was it? Then suddenly she remembered. Standing in the parking lot at Merlottes after Bill had saved her from the Rattrays, she had asked him to come to a meeting and give a talk to the Descendants of the Glorious Dead. In some strange way she found this fitting. He was here, now, tonight, his very words being spoken as though he was walking amongst them all, recounting the horrors he had lived. 

You could have heard a pin drop. William paused before going on. ‘Inside the diary I also found two letters and if you would allow me to, I would like to read them to you?’ he queried. ‘I am sure that I can speak for everyone here tonight in saying that we would love you to go on William. Please go ahead’ Adele said as everyone seemed to eagerly murmur agreement.

‘The first letter is written in the same hand as the diary’ he said.

My dearest Caroline,  
My loving and loved wife, I write to you tonight on the eve of yet another battle to tell you of my life as it is today and of how much I love you and miss you. I look back to the times when I thought of nothing more than sharing all our future years together and watching our children grow to adult hood, sharing the joy of their loves and cradling their children in my arms. It was not to be, the war saw to that, changing my life and my thoughts to darkness.

The happiness that I had when our beloved son was born, I thought my heart would burst with joy to see a part of you with a part of me, joined together for the entire world to see. Our union of love and passion was blessed a second time with our beautiful flower of a daughter. She was as you were when born, or so I imagined. I had looked forward on the day she was born to seeing her grow to be that little girl whose pigtails I pulled in class, who I watched to grow from an awkward gangling tomboy into a graceful beautiful young woman, the beautiful woman that I cherish and miss with all my heart.

I promised you my love to return safely to your arms but that may not be, and I may break my promise to you. You know that I did not want to fight in this war, you know how much I did not believe that a war would bring the resolutions to which we were so hoping but you also know my reasons for going and I would not be the man that you loved if I did not put honour amongst my highest principles. My only regret will be that I may never return to your loving arms.

The tears I cry tonight for you and our children are not the salty tears you would know and recognise, for I am no longer that man you waved off to war. I am no longer a man but have been a lost and forsaken creature for these past weeks and months, despising the inhumanity I see around me, where war turns cowards into heroes but also grown men into crying children. I cower at the screams of the wounded as the doctors preform their amputations to save lives but inflict the horror of the bone saw on the wretched conscious patient. My stomach turns at the weeping of the boys left out in the sun to slowly rot in charnel purgatory, with no hope of ever seeing their beloved families and farms, corpses mouldering in far away fields with no grieving loved ones to bury them and return them to god. 

I am all darkness now my beloved, as the dawn draws near, taking me away from the only light I crave, the light in your eyes and in your heart, that I hope burns still as brightly for me, as mine does for you. Caroline my love, my life, if I should not return, if I too am left to rot in some far away distant field know this, I have never loved, nor will I ever love, as I have loved you.

With all my heart,

Your loving husband Bill

Maxine Fortenbury broke the silence when she tearfully asked ‘Do you know what happened to him? You said that you found two letters in the diary, what was in the other one?’ she half whispered, eager to find out more. William delicately unfolded a second thin, worn sheet of paper. Sookie held her breath; she had been walking those fields of battle with Bill, living his fears, his hopes, his dreams, his despair and above all, his darkness. Now it had come to the moment she had been waiting for and hoping for, this would tell her what her heart so badly needed to know.

Her heart stood still as William’s voice cracked with emotion:

Mam,   
I am returning this diary to you as the address on the inside indicates that the owner is kin to you. I am sorry to report that although I found this in a cabin near my home, it was quite deserted at the time and looked like there had been no one living there for many, many months.  
As I have been away at the war myself Mam, it has taken a long time for my release from the Yankee jail in the north, where I have been kept prisoner. My trip back down south on foot mostly, has taken considerable time to get over so I must apologise for not getting this to you sooner.  
I cannot shed any further light on the whereabouts of your loved one but as there was nothing else to find of his in the cabin I am hoping that this journal will be of some comfort to you.   
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but as there appeared to be a large amount of dried blood on the bed in the cabin; I can only presume that your loved one left, attempting to get back to you and died on his travels home. 

Yours with my deepest respects etc

‘Folded neatly within the diary I found a lady’s handkerchief finely embroidered with the following’ William said softly looking directly at Sookie:

‘To love I find is no hard task and love for love is all I ask’ he quoted ‘with the initials CC’ William almost whispered …‘Caroline Compton’.

William looked down at Sookie, apologising to the audience as he dabbed the tears in his eyes with his handkerchief. A tear slowly trickled down her face as the image of Bill’s grave in the storm tore at her already worn heart. Bill’s voice was calling to her, whispering softly, just as in the image of him chained to the floor and in pain flooded through her, ‘I am so sorry’. William looked into her eyes and saw the pain she was feeling and looked torn, their eyes locked together sharing, living the moment. 

Adele, moving up to the podium, broke into that moment. ‘I am sure that we would all like to thank William for his kindness in sharing a part of his family history with us. I don’t think that anyone here tonight will ever forget what a wonderful man and a founding father to this community Bill Compton was,’ she said to a thunderous round of applause.

‘I would like to call on our Mayor now who has something to say’ she said ‘and William if you wouldn’t mind staying here for a moment’ she had turned to him as he had started to move off the platform, Adele’s words surprising him. The Mayor was one of Adele’s cronies and being the same age was not as spritely as he used to be when he’d chased her around the church yard after Sunday school as children so, as he was taking his time to get up to the stage, a general murmur of excitement ran through those present.

‘Thank you Adele and thank you to all of those who came out tonight but above all I would like to thank William here, not just for coming tonight but as Mayor of Bon Temps and in light of all he has contributed to the community, the town council has decided that with the money so kindly donated to the retirement home and all, we are going to name the new wing the William Thomas and Caroline Compton memorial wing in appreciation to you and your families community spirit’ he said as he shook William’s hand.

Sookie knew that she shouldn’t and she had every reason not to, but she just could not help feeling a great deal of pride on William’s behalf. As usual William was looking extremely humble and had that embarrassed look that always made her feel a tide of love sweep through her. As hard as she tried, she could not help but feel this way. The crowd broke out into a round of rapturous applause and some of the local wags, encouraged by Jason and Jessica, who had snuck in late and were sitting down the back, began calling for a speech.

‘Thank you Mayor and thank you to all of you again for allowing me to become part of your community’ he said self-conscious about the reaction he was receiving and once again looked directly towards Sookie. Adele approached the podium ‘Thank you all for coming and refreshments will be served now’ she said smiling. As soon as William left the stage he was swamped by well wishers and those wanting more details and a closer look at the miniature. 

Maxine Fortenbury insisted that Hoyt take a photo of her and William holding the daguerreotype, making it pretty obvious her enthrallment with Bill’s story had increased markedly by the presenter himself. There was also a line of the more eligible single ladies of Bon Temps and some not so eligible including Arelene, who had suddenly found a passionate interest in history that had never been evident prior to the announcement that William would be holding the talk tonight. 

Rolph had not hidden his displeasure at the whole night’s proceedings and was making it plain to Sookie he was anxious to leave; she however was in no hurry. Her mind was in turmoil. She had been startled by her feelings when seeing William sitting there looking so devastated. She did not understand it. If Lorena had come back to him why was he reacting like this? And Bill, her dark lover, such a simple humble man, how could that be? How could the creature of the night that she had come to know be the same person? She had hoped for answers but had ended up with more questions to confuse her.

Adele approached with two glasses of Maxine’s famous punch in her hands, holding one out to Rolph and the other to Sookie, much to his annoyance. The last thing Rolph wanted was to be trapped standing around chatting for hours. He had been waiting for Sookie to get over William, taking care to go slowly and not rush things, he had made that mistake before but tonight his patience was wearing thin. He wanted her and he was determined to have her and he had been planning the evening carefully but with tonight’s events, he had been forced to alter his plans and he was not the kind of person that took to that too kindly. 

Looking around, Adele hurriedly said ‘Sookie honey, I left my wrap over near the refreshments table, could you be a dear and go get it for me while Rolph and I have a little chat?’ Adele asked. Rolph could hardly protest without seeming to be rude so he was stuck discussing various subjects of little interest to him. In the mean time Sookie had gone in search of Adele’s missing wrap. It was not until she got closer the to the refreshments, passing a large group of locals all reliving the battle account in Bill’s diary that she saw William standing next to a chair with Adele’s wrap draped over it. She had the sneaking feeling that Adele knew exactly where her wrap was in relation to William’s proximity and had been waiting for just such a moment.

Her heart gave an extra beat. She should turn around and go back to Adele claiming that she couldn’t find it but she knew that would be cowardly and she had more pride in herself than to run from her fears, so she squared her shoulders and ploughed on. William had been talking to Jason but as Jason noticed Sookie’s approach he had given a wink of encouragement to William and passing Sookie had whispered ‘Be nice to him, he loves you so very much,’ much to her surprise. 

Her steps nearly faulted but she forced herself to move on. William had turned pale as he watched her approach, wearing his heart plainly on his face for all the room to see. As she moved past him to retrieve Adele’s not so misplaced wrap he said almost pleadingly ‘Sookie’. ‘Sookee’ came echoing through her mind as if Bill was pleading with her too on William’s behalf. She stopped within inches of him, so close he could smell her. I can smell the sunlight on your skin, fading in and out of the thoughts between them.

‘Thank you for doing this for Grans William’ she said meaning it. ‘Sookie, you know that I didn’t do it for that reason only, although Adele does mean a lot to me, she is a very special person but you know why I did it’ he said willing her to look into his eyes, to see what he was feeling, to come back to him and to love him. She couldn’t look at him. She knew that as betrayed and confused as she felt, if she was to look at him only once, when she was this close to him that she could feel his soft breath on her face, then she would be lost to his sapphire eyes forever. ‘Sookie, look at me’ he whispered, his silky velvet voice sending waves of emotions through her, compelling her. 

She couldn’t resist any longer and looking into his eyes she knew that he meant it when he simply said ‘I did it for you’.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rolph drives Sookie home after the meeting of the Descendants of the Glorious Dead leaving Sookie open for a shock, one that she was not prepared for.
> 
> Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris all own any True Blood character and I will had them back into their safe hands.
> 
> William is my own and he puts up with a lot.

William and Sookie were standing within inches of each other, staring intently into each others eyes. It was some time before either could speak, both of them lost to the emotions they were feeling. William not daring to hope that he would have the chance to make this right and Sookie, her heart racing at the very nearness of him, still unable to get Lorena’s words out of her head but wanting to with every fibre of her being. ‘William I…’ she was interrupted. Neither one of them had noticed that Rolph was now standing at Sookie’s elbow. 

Only half listening to Adele’s thanks for his help with Sookie’s recovery, Rolph had been scanning the room to see what had held her up before seeing her standing with William. Adele, unable to detain him any longer had no choice but to excuse him as he made his apologies and left her standing there, watching as he strode over to the couple. 

How long he had been standing there watching and listening neither Sookie nor William knew but as he reached her side he gently but firmly took her arm, propelling her towards the exit door. Not wanting to make a scene she had no alternative but to follow but as she was walking out the door, she turned her head to look back over her shoulder. William had remained perfectly still watching her departure so when she had turned, their eyes met and it said more to both of them than any of their awkward conversations could.

Rolph pulled the car to an abrupt stop in the driveway, sending the gravel flying. He knew that it would be at least an hour or two before Adele would be back. The hall was still full of townsfolk and she had to clean up after they had left. Whipping off his seatbelt he swiftly leaned over to Sookie before she had even moved and began kissing her passionately. She was taken by surprise, she had not been expecting this from Rolph who had been, if anything, restrained with his advances. She had kind of enjoyed the good night kisses they had, but tonight with her feelings for William so raw and the emotion of Bill’s journal leaving her spent, Rolph’s timing seemed inopportune. 

As his kisses became more urgent she began to feel uncomfortable. His increasing arousal was becoming alarming as he was leaning across and had her pinned to the front seat of the car. She began to squirm in his embrace and when he flicked the lever to move the seat into a reclining position and sprung onto her side of the car with total disregard for her, she really was frightened. He was crushing her to him, his weight on top of her making breathing hard and sending panic through her. Her leg began to hurt where it was trapped against the seatbelt latch, bruising it. 

He began pawing at her, his attempts to free her breasts from her top becoming more desperate. His kisses, no longer soft and tender, sent waves of revulsion through her.   
She was shaking now as, unable to remove her top, he pulled up her skirt and latching his fingers under the lace of her panties dragged them off, tearing them in his haste. Then to her horror, she heard the unmistakeable sound of a zip being undone as he fumbled to free himself, desperate to have her, loosing control. 

‘Rolph’ she pleaded with him, but he took no notice, the urge to take her the only thing that he was aware of. ‘Rolph’ she yelled at him, attempting to tear free of him. ‘Sookie, come on’ he panted. You must know by now how much I want you? Look at me, you can see what you are doing to me’ he begged. She closed her eyes, there was nothing erotic or remotely loving seeing Rolph’s excitement for her like this. Eric’s voice flooded through her ‘You are mine, I own you’ his words menacing, adding to her alarm.

She gulped before turning her face to him, looking him straight in the eyes and saying ‘I know, I do know but Rolph I can’t. I…’ she hesitated, she was trying to think of words that would calm him down without making him angry. She knew that he was close to getting what he wanted and she was terrified.

Rolph had been waiting since the night she first came into the hospital when she had looked so small, so vulnerable in her injured state. She should not have survived, her loss of blood so great, the injuries to her leg and neck causing so much damage. Rolph wasn’t a neurologist, that was not the field he specialised in, but he did know that the knock to her head and subsequent concussion had further endangered her precarious situation. He did what he could for her, leaving the rest up to time and quality care. 

When she regained consciousness he was relieved. Without making it too obvious, he tried to spend as much time as he could with her but there was one fly in the ointment; William, it always seemed to get back to William. Then that night Adele had rung him to say that she was ill and he gradually half learnt and half guessed the truth about what had happened, he saw the opportunity he had been waiting for, planning for and he hoped that all would fall into place. 

But now, tonight he could see it all falling apart. The minute he had walked into the hall and seen William sitting there on the stage he had been apprehensive. When she had seemed so nonchalant he had hope, but then he had felt her pulse race as she looked at William and he knew that he had a bigger fight on his hands than he had estimated. 

‘It’s William isn’t it?’ he questioned angrily, pulling back slightly. ‘Despite Lor….’he stopped abruptly, silence filling the void between them. Then Sookie’s face changed as though she had just realised what he had been about to say. ‘What, what about Lorena? You were just about to say something about Lorena weren’t you, weren’t you? You know her don’t you?’ she questioned demanding to know. When he didn’t answer her she was furious, she was more than furious she was in a rage, all the fear she had been feeling evaporating as a blinding fury coursed through her. ‘Answer me.’ ‘Yes, alright I know Lorena’ he snapped.

Sookie was seething with anger. She managed to use this distraction to undo her seat belt, wriggling with all her might from under him and was out of the car before Rolph could stop her. She made it to the front door as Rolph caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm. ‘It’s not what you think, I’m sorry…’ he said. ‘Let go of me Rolph’ she said quietly now with a cold menace to her voice and he dropped her arm immediately, realising that he had over stepped the boundaries and wishing to make up ground with her. As she opened the door and stepped in she turned. She immediately had a flash of Eric standing there taunting Bill with his cruel accusations. She looked at Rolph and saw the resemblance, turning again she closed the door and locked it behind her.

She was shaking uncontrollably now and the relief she felt when she heard his car start up and drive off was overwhelming. This was just too much. She just wanted to dissolve into tears. She wanted her head to stop pounding and her heart to stop racing but as she made her way up to her room, try she might she just couldn’t get a handle on things, she couldn’t calm down. She knew that she had to before Adele got home as it would not do to let her see how upset she was, so she had a quick shower and went to bed. At least she wouldn’t have to face any questions from Adele tonight.

With the emotions of the evening lying heavily on her and the physical battle with Rolph draining her, it was no surprise that she quickly fell into a deep sleep, events taking a toll on her already frayed nerves. 

‘I need help, is anyone there, can anyone help me?’ Bill was calling as he banged on the door of the small cabin he had come across during his short cut home from the war. What was left of his meagre uniform was torn and tattered. Exhaustion, hunger and dehydration had worn him to the bone; he was almost dropping as he stood. The lonely figure of the woman at the fireplace offering her hospitality looked familiar as Sookie looked on, seeing the room through Bill’s eyes. 

There was something about the shape of her face, the slant of her tilted eyes that rang a warning in her brain. As Bill sat eating, his only thoughts were of survival and getting home to his Caroline and Thomas and Sarah. He had made it through this horrendous war physically unscathed, emotionally bereft. He had only those few short miles to go and he would be safely in the arms of his beloved.

‘I thank you for your kind hospitality Mam, I don’t think that I could have gone on much longer without some food and rest’ Bill said in all sincerity. ‘I will never forget your kindness or your generosity. I hope some day if I may, to repay your kindness to me. And now Mam I will be on my way’ he said with a small polite bow. But the fate that had led him to the small dismal place had other things in mind as, with a flurry of movement, she that had been so caring and hospitable had turned into a creature of horror and unending death.

Bill did not know what debase cruelty really meant until that fateful night. He had experienced man’s inhumanity to man during the abysmal days of the war, but this, this was a creature of Satan, darkness and despair standing in front of his eyes, blocking his only escape. Then Sookie saw with horror as though she was there seeing with her own eyes, the truth dawning on her as Lorena slowly drained Bill and took away his very humanity, ending the life he had so loved.

The horror of the scene changed as dreams do and she slid into yet another darkness without rhyme or reason. Debris was scattered around the room, the wreckage of the once designer decorated lounge room nothing but smoking rubble. Groaning victims of humanity were trying hard to recover themselves; those not hurt helping others less fortunate. She tried to move but a dead weight was preventing her from getting up, pressing her into the floor and crushing her. She tried lifting with all her might so she could escape the carnage assaulting her eyes. It was then that she realised Eric was lying flung across her unmoving, with eyes closed.

Pushing with her arms while at the same time rolling to the side, she managed to free herself. Looking down at Eric, covered in blood, she was horrified. ‘I am dying’ he said, he eyes opening wide ‘I took silver bullets for you, you have to suck them out or I will die.’ Sookie nearly heaved at the thought of it but she knew that she had little choice, he had saved her and that meant that she did owe it to him. It was not until Bill arrived to find her kneeling beside Eric, her mouth covered in his blood and she saw the look of ecstatic triumph on Eric’s face, did she realise the extent of his trickery and betrayal. He finally had what he had wanted all along, his hold over her now complete; he had his precious blood bond. He owned her, she was his. 

So startled by the revelation of the dream Sookie jerked awake. Her nerves were twanging at the horror of her dreams. She knew that she must have slept late by the way the light was coming into her room. Adele had lately been indulging her, not wanting to cause her any more grief than she already was going through, pretty much leaving her to her own devices. She dragged herself out of bed and got dressed then making up her mind, she left the house calling out to Adele that she was going for a walk. She just was not up to facing any conversations or questions with the way she was feeling right at the moment.

She walked without any purpose other than to be alone with her thoughts. She desperately needed to clear her head. The fear she had felt from Rolph’s confrontation weighed heavily on her. He wanted her and she knew it, she didn’t need him to tell her that, the look on his face when he had been standing watching her sunbath had been enough but since then he had been so sweet and so caring, until last night that is. She realised that it was just as a much a trick as Eric’s deception in her dream when he had lied to her, convincing her to drink his blood. 

Her thoughts then turned to Bill and the look on his face when he had seen her, kneeling by Eric’s side, bloody mouthed. His face was a mask of inconsolable sadness, loss and pain, a torment to her even now when thinking about it. He was a creature of the night and now, after her dream of the cabin, she knew why and how he had come into existence. She suddenly knew where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do. She had been ambling through the cemetery aimlessly but now, more than anything else she wanted to see Bill’s grave again, to be near his memorial now that she knew who and what he was.

She sat kneeling by his headstone and noticed for the first time that someone else must have visited recently or more recently than her, the last time she was there on the day of the terrible storm. The headstone its self had been cleared of the tangled mess of ivy and the surrounds had been tidied up as though someone else had finally found Bill and cared enough to pay their homage. She wondered about this as she sat there, her fingers gently tracing his name and feeling so close, so connected to him. She became so emotionally charged with the memories of his journal that tears poured down her cheeks unnoticed.

Also unnoticed by her was the quiet approach of another come to pay his last respects to Bill. It was not until his shadow passed over the headstone that Sookie looked up startled. Standing looking down at her with his sad look of resignation William stood silently watching her. Sookee, Sookie. She sat kneeling for a moment looking at him, her eyes still liquid with the tears she had been shedding for Bill. As she moved to stand up, William held out his hand to help her, the touch of their fingers sent electric shocks of lightening bolts flooding through them, leaving both of them trembling. Sookie moved to walk past him, unable to stay knowing that if she did, the temptation would be too much for her senses.

‘Sookie’ William said quietly ‘I came to say my final goodbyes to Bill. I…I didn’t know that you would be here’ he said as way of explanation for his presence. She stopped and turned. ‘Final goodbye?’ Sookie questioned. ‘Yes, I wanted to make my final day here as meaningful as possible.’ ‘Final day here?’ she looked at him puzzled. ‘I am leaving Bon Temps Sookie’ he said flatly with as little emotion as he possibly could. ‘Leaving Bon Temps?’ Sookie felt like a moron, all she could do was repeat everything that William was saying to her like some demented parrot.

Finally she grasped what he was saying, the fog lifting from her shocked mind. So he was leaving she thought. That would figure, some how she couldn’t exactly see the polished, snooty Lorena doing her shopping at the local Walmart or dropping in for a quick burger and beer at Merlottes. She could not imagine her being enthralled with all the local community events that made life living in a small rural community such a peaceful existence. 

Lorena was a city dweller, her every manner told her that, dripping with upwardly mobile confidence, secure in her own opinions of herself. Her clothes would not have been off the peg copies Sookie was sure and Lorena would never have to scrounge through the end of season wracks at sales time, nothing but designer labels and Manola Blahniks for her. She oozed sophistication and haute couture, expensive make up and perfume in the hundreds of dollars a bottle. No costume jewellery for her either, the gold bracelet Sookie had noticed on her arm would be twenty four carat, not fake costume jewellery bought at the local shopping mall for ten dollars on sale.

‘I don’t suppose that Lorena would want to stay in a little place like Bon Temps’ she said trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. ‘Lorena?’ it was his turn to look puzzled and questioned ‘What has Lorena got to do with this?’ ‘Well if you are going off with her, if you love her!’ she exclaimed. William stood shocked by Sookie’s assumptions. 

He had spent the weeks since Sookie had run out of the house on that dreadful day, totally distraught and in a state of abject misery. He had been living in absolute despair. The first week when he was so desperate to talk to her and he called day after day only to be shut out, it had nearly driven him insane. After the death of his family, he had never wanted to go through that kind of pain again, so he had isolated himself, building barriers around his heart, sealing himself off from feeling anything. He couldn’t do it, he just couldn’t let himself feel again, it only broke your heart.

So he had travelled the world trying to forget, deriving what little pleasure he could from the beauty of nature. He took comfort in sunrises and sunsets, emerald green forests and turquoise oceans, golden beaches and deep shimmering lakes. He became an observer rather than a participant, watching everything life had to offer but no longer living it. Then it had all changed. As fate would have it, if you believed in such things, he had come to Bon Temps. He had never dreamt that his life would change so much as that night he drove home and stopped to help an accident victim. Meeting Sookie had been like a kick start to his life again, his heart again. As hard as he tried, he could not keep his barriers up and he fell so madly, desperately in love that it hurt.

He was so taken by her vulnerability, her simplicity, with Sookie you always knew what she was thinking and feeling, she wore every single emotion on her face. She didn’t have a single deceitful bone in her body. She was caring and she was considerate, she was everything that he had missed when he had lost his wife. And she was beautiful, glowing with an inner light that just shone through her and made him feel so good, so special. She cared about him as much as he cared for her he thought, if that was possible. She had made him feel alive again.

‘Lorena? You think I love Lorena?’ He stepped away from her a little and began to pace, deep in thought before turning and looking at her with an expression on his face that she didn’t recognise, she had never seen him look so…. disgusted. ‘Sookie, I didn’t love her, I swear to you that I never loved Lorena.’

She flinched at the tone in his voice, such contrast to the normal soft silky timbre. She was flooded with doubt and if anything, she would have to admit, relief but she didn’t have time to take her feelings in to account as William moved in front of her, tilting her chin gently to make her look up at him. ‘Is that what you thought, all this time, that I loved Lorena? Tell me the truth Sookie, is that why you haven’t been near me all these weeks, why you have just tossed me aside and gone to him, to Rolph?’ he asked with so much feeling in his voice that she tried to look away but couldn’t.

‘Answer me Sookie’ he said so close to her she could feel his breath coming out in short pants, his chest heaving with emotion. ‘I … I thought’ she stammered. ‘You thought that I loved her? You have no idea what she has done to me, taken from me’ with tears in his eyes as he looked past her and into some far off place of pain and suffering. ‘I hated her more than you would ever think it possible for one person to hate another!’

‘I despised her.’


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William is leaving Bon Temps, this is the last chance for Sookie to finally listen to William, but will she?
> 
> As always, a big thumbs up to Alan Ball, HBO & Charlaine Harris.
> 
> William belongs to me and no one else, he is mine.

‘Sookie listen to me, if you ever loved me at all then let me tell you what I should have told you right from the start. If I had told you, things would be so different but I couldn’t, I wasn’t sure that it was safe. I didn’t want you to know because I loved you so much that I thought if you knew you wouldn’t want me.’ William said so full of anguish and sorrow she wasn’t even sure of what he was saying, but it was nearly breaking her heart to see his face. 

‘I was a journalist, a reporter on a paper and my editor sent me to cover a story. It was a story that he thought that I would be interested in about new ground breaking research being done into the development of synthetic blood. He knew that I was a regular blood donor as I had to schedule my appointments to donate and arrange time off, so seeing that I would have a better understanding of the ins and outs of it all, and knowing my commitment, he sent me to cover the story.’

‘That’s where I met Lorena and Rolph. They were doing research in development of synthetic blood.’ ‘Wait, you mean that Rolph and Lorena were working together?’ she interrupted. ‘Yes, they were working together and their research was so close to making a break through that would mean so much difference to thousands of people around the world, it deserved some recognition. Think of it Sookie, if I hadn’t been there the night you had your accident and they didn’t have enough of our AB negative blood to save you, you know what would have happened don’t you?’

She went pale. She knew that it was William’s blood that had saved her but because she had never really been sick, she had never given two thoughts to what would happen if she needed a transfusion and there was no blood stock. She looked at William with a new respect in her eyes. It was people like William that were the unsung heroes of this world, they cared enough about their fellow man to donate their own blood and without them countless numbers would not be walking around today.

‘Do you realise how critically low blood donor numbers are? Not just rare blood types like ours, but in general and that’s not just here in the states or in the UK, but it is a world wide problem. Not many people ever really think about it until it happens to them and they need a transfusion or some other by-product but Sookie, with this research, it could change everything.’

‘I know that you said Rolph and Lorena were working together but William what’s that got to do with you and Lorena?’ she asked trying to see a connection. ‘They weren’t just working together Sookie, they were together, as a couple. They lived together, worked together, Rolph had even asked her to marry him.’ William went on ‘they were devoted to their research and each other or that’s how it appeared when I meet them.’

‘I still don’t see what that has to do with…’ she stopped. William was looking ill at ease ‘They split up didn’t they, that’s why Rolph hates you?’ she said, finally putting the pieces together. William was looking shame faced. ‘Sookie, listen it’s not what you are thinking. I… Lorena had issues before I met her. I didn’t find out until later but she had been seeing a counsellor for a long time, she had actually been seeing Lafayette for many months, for years actually before I had even met her, but I didn’t know about it.’

‘She is a brilliant researcher but like a lot of extremely gifted people, she had her own demons. After I first met with them to get an outline for the story, Lorena suggested we meet for further discussions. I had thought that would include Rolph but it didn’t. She explained that away with excuses, Rolph was too busy or he got called to a meeting or, oh the list went on. But after it kept happening and with Lorena becoming more clandestine with her arrangements to meet, I began to realise that there was something not normal about it all.’

‘I set up an appointment with Rolph on his own and it was obvious from our conversation that he had no idea of any other meetings’ William continued on. ‘As you can imagine he was less than happy but you know, I don’t think that he was all that surprised as Lorena had been showing up less and less at the lab and their research was suffering. They were so close to a break through and if they didn’t continue there were others around the world that were working in the same field that were also close, it was a race, one that Rolph was desperate to win. For Rolph the research was everything to him, the relationship secondary. It could mean recognition world wide and possibly who knows, this kind of discovery could even have lead to a Noble Peace Prize, the way he saw it the possibilities were endless.’

‘I knew from the way he reacted that what ever had been going on between them recently on a personal level, my talk with him had shed some light on the way things really were with Lorena and from that moment he hated me, but I had no idea to what extent. It was only the night of Jason and Jessica’s engagement party that I really learnt how malevolent Rolph really is but that side of things can wait. I need to tell you the whole story Sookie, not just a part of it.’ 

William paused before going on. ‘I started getting phone calls at work from her and I started running into her at lunch time or she would turn up in the pub near the office after work. It went on and on, escalating in frequency. It got to the point that I couldn’t even go out shopping with the family on the weekends without seeing her, and then she started turning up waiting for me after work, sitting parked in her car near my house. But the final straw was when I was picking up the kids one day and saw her waiting near the school yard. It had to stop.’

‘Just after that I finally confronted her one night when I had come home late from work and she was sitting there in her car watching me. She said that she loved me and that she didn’t love Rolph any more, that she wanted me and that we should go away together. She wasn’t rational and above all she was desperate. She had told Rolph earlier that day that she was leaving him and that we were going to be together, that I was leaving my wife.’ 

‘I’ll never forget her face when I told her this had to stop, I told her I wasn’t interested, that I was happily married and that I loved my wife and children and that if she didn’t leave me alone I would have to go to the police, that she was delusional. She looked at me with the coldest eyes that I have ever seen and said that I was not the first person to say that to her. I told her that I meant it about the police; I would take out an intervention order to keep her away from me and from my family. That was a mistake, one that I paid for and am still paying for,’ he said bitterly.

‘The next afternoon as I was leaving work I got a phone call, it was from the police.’ William’s voice cracked with emotion and tears spilled down his cheeks. ‘They said there had been an accident and they were sending someone around to see me. I knew, without being told anything, I knew. I could already feel it, they were dead. Just like that, all gone,’ he sobbed. Sookie stood horrified, living the moment with William. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him but she stood there transfixed, waiting for him to go on. She couldn’t move, paralysed in her grief for him.

It took William some time to compose himself and gather his thoughts before he could go on. ‘The police informed me that they had been killed instantly. Witnesses had told them that they had seen my wife speeding away from school with the kids in the back after a confrontation with a dark haired woman. They had been arguing and one of the other mothers had heard my wife telling the woman that “she didn’t believe her, it was all lies” but Lorena, from the descriptions to the police of the woman that was who they identified, Lorena had pulled out a photo she had some how managed to take of me and told her I had given it to her and that I was leaving my family to be with her.’

‘Witnesses to the actual accident had said it was raining hard and that a car behind ours had been driving erratically, then it had deliberately clipped our car sending it off the road and into a light post. The car burst into flames on impact and there was nothing anyone could do. The other car involved didn’t stop and no one had been able to get a license plate. I didn’t need one, neither did the police. It was obvious what had happened.’

William was ashen, his hands covering his face and Sookie could only look on with pity and remorse as the true horror dawned on her. Oh my god, what have I done she was thinking. ‘She disappeared, no one not Rolph or Lafayette had any idea of where she had gone. Lafayette was interviewed by the police and recounted his fears at the time of seeing her. He also said that he had warned Rolph previously that he thought she may be capable of harm as he had been increasingly disturbed by issues that had come to light over the course of the years she had been seeing him. Rolph had chosen to ignore the warnings, putting his research project first.’

‘I left England and began to travel. I couldn’t stand the thought of ever running into her even though the police had told me that was highly unlikely. But I just couldn’t stay there. Everywhere I looked at home was a reminder of them and my guilt,’ he trailed off. She looked at him shocked ‘Your guilt? What do you mean, your guilt?’ she asked. ‘Don’t you see, it was my fault, if Lorena hadn’t have become so besotted they would still be alive? It was because of me they died.’

She could see how that could happen, how Lorena could have become so intoxicated with him. William was no shrinking violet but he just did not realise how attractive he was, hadn’t she felt it right from the first time she had opened her eyes in the hospital and seen him walk in the door. Wasn’t there something that was just so heart stopping about him, so mesmerising. Hadn’t she felt he was the most handsome man that she had even seen in her life? But wasn’t it more that just that, when you have his looks combined with the sweetest, most caring and compassionate person that you could ever come across, wouldn’t that be enough to explain, but of course not excuse Lorena?

‘But it wasn’t your fault, you didn’t do anything. How can you blame yourself like that? I understand that you would have felt like that initially perhaps, but now you must see it differently,’ she said gently to him. He looked at her and shook his head. ‘Don’t you see that it happened again, she did the same thing to you as she had done before. You believed her.’ Sookie felt nothing but shame, what he was saying was nothing but the truth and she knew it she thought, hanging her head unable to look at him.

‘Sookie, I tried to lose myself in the world. I roamed around aimlessly living with the fear that she was still somewhere out there. Then as time went by I began to feel a little safer. When I came here and we met, I fell I love with you and it was like being born again but I fought it. At the back of my mind, after all this time I was still fearful and still felt guilty. Oh I know you can say it until the cows come home, that it wasn’t my fault and yes, I do know that but until you have lived through something like that then you can’t really know what it feels like.’

‘I wanted to love you so much, it was tearing me apart. You will never know how much you mean to me. At first I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you but then I just knew that I had to take a chance. Everything seemed to be falling into place and I was so happy. Oh Sookie to feel the warmth and happiness that I feel with you, to just hold you, to watch you fall asleep safe in my arms…then just as I began to feel that it was safe, that things were going to be all right, the night of the engagement party Rolph told me; Lorena was in Bon Temps.’

‘He knew? He knew that she was here when he must have known what she had done?’ Sookie questioned with revulsion in her voice. ‘He knew what she had done. He was questioned by the police at the time, not just because of his personal relationship of course but also his working relationship. After her disappearance his research stopped, without her input it couldn’t continue so the years they had spent were wasted. While I was in Australia before coming here, there was actually a case of a woman’s life being saved by the use of a synthetic blood substitute. It made the news world wide. She’d been in a car crash Sookie, she was down to one litre of blood left in her body and she was saved.’

‘With Rolph’s research over I don’t know what he did or how he came to end up here but I do know that he had arranged for Lafayette to set up here too, he owed him that much at least after not listening to him but he also wanted to keep an eye on him, Lafayette knew his and Lorena’s intimate secrets. Then you had the accident and that night at the hospital when I bought you in and saw Rolph, do you remember Sookie I said to you once that I didn’t believe in coincidences, that things are meant to happen but we might not know why at the time? Here I was coming half way around the world and who should be here but Rolph and Lafayette? Is that just a coincidence Sookie?’

‘I could see immediately that Rolph was attracted to you. I also knew that he hated me, blamed me for losing everything that he had ever wanted in his life.’ ‘He said that to me’ she spoke quietly. ‘What did he say to you?’ William asked. ‘He said he knew what it was like to have your heart broken and loose everything or something like that. I thought that he was talking about a great love in his life but…’ ‘Sookie he was, but it was his research not Lorena he meant, although I do think that he cared for her but in a physical sense, not in a loving meaningful way.’ 

‘That’s how he made me feel’ she murmured, reliving the horror of the night before and how much he had reminded her of Eric ‘like I was a possession that he wanted and had made up his mind to have’ she said quietly. ‘He was very good at giving me what he thought I needed at the time but last night he…’ she stopped. William looked at her closely, ‘Sookie, did he harm you? If he harmed you…’ William was beside himself. ‘No, I guess I was really lucky’ she said, a wave of horror washing over her thinking about what could have happened.

‘Sookie, tell me now and tell me truthfully, do you have feelings for him? Are you in love with him?’ William asked straight out, looking her square in the eyes. ‘I … I’ Sookie stammered, she couldn’t tell him what had happened last night, she didn’t want to tell anyone. When Sookie hesitated William looked crushed. ‘I was grateful to him for being there, for caring for me. I …I thought, oh William I was so devastated. I thought you loved Lorena, I thought you…I believed Lorena, and Rolph was there and he seemed to understand what it was like. I swear I never told anyone what happened but it was like he knew and felt for me or so I thought.’

‘Sookie he did know or he would have guessed what happened. I told you that I had no idea how bent on revenge he was. Sookie, it was Rolph that contacted Lorena and told her where I was. He bought her here not just to get even with me but because he knew it would tear us apart. He knew that I would not stay here with her here, that I could not stand to be anywhere that she was and he knew what a danger she was to me. After I rang you that night to wish you a good night, I rang Lafayette to warn him. He knew what she was capable of and knew that not only was I in danger but so was he. He had given police details about her state of mind and if they ever caught up with her it would be his evidence that would help put her away. He told me that he was going to leave for a while and gave me his cell number so I could keep in touch if I needed to, then he left.’

‘I told you I had some business to take care of but it was Lorena I had to meet and deal with. I knew that she would come. I had no doubts that if she was here the night before then it was certain she would show up.’ He was pacing again as he went on. ‘Just like I knew she would, she showed up that day around lunch time. I knew just looking at her that she was just as psychotic as she had been when I had last seen her. And when you showed up I knew that I had to try to protect you. I thought if I didn’t let her see how much you meant to me you might be safe but I guessed that Rolph must have told her of our relationship and that scared me too. I was just so worried for you, I knew only too well what she was capable of. You have no idea how relieved I was when you left, not because I didn’t want you, but because you got out of there safely.’ 

Sookie couldn’t look at him, she felt so much shame. She hadn’t even given him a chance, she had not made any attempt to even talk to him, and she felt sick. ‘What happened when I left, where is she now?’ Sookie asked. ‘When you left Lorena was triumphant. She thought that she had won. She was gloating. She was so smug. I knew that I had to be really careful as she was dangerous but I didn’t know how I was going to get either her or me out of there without some kind of confrontation but thanks to Lafayette I didn’t have to.’

‘He told me later that after he had left he still had the contact number of the Scotland Yard detective that had been handling the investigation. He was worried for my safety and for yours so he rang him, and even though he was no longer in that section, he assured him he would make sure the relevant authorities had been alerted. You have no idea how lucky I was. Bud Dearborn and Andy Bellefleur were alerted and showed up to check on me after you left. Lorena was still here.’

‘When she realised that she was cornered she completely lost it. She came after me and if they had not have been quick enough….it took the three of us to subdue her, Andy and I held her down while Bud cuffed her. She’s been assessed and has been placed under psychiatric care now where she can’t hurt anyone, not even herself. Sookie they found a gun in her bag. If Lafayette had not told the police of the situation well…I am not sure how things would have gone.’ 

There was silence between them now. William looked spent, recounting the whole story to Sookie had taken it out of him. He was drained but there was still one last thing he had to deal with before he left for good. ‘You said you came here to pay your last respects to Bill, now that you are leaving?’ Sookie almost whispered. William had to know, he couldn’t leave without asking her the one question that was eating his heart out.

‘Sookie I asked you before but you didn’t really answer me,’ he turned to look her in the eyes. ‘Do you love Rolph?’ he asked with out any emotion, keeping his feelings in check. Sookie looked at him then looked away, his account of everything that had happened simply swamped her with emotions and above all, she was wracked with guilt at what she considered to be her abandonment of William and what he would see as her betrayal of him by her relationship with Rolph. 

How much of a fool did she feel after what Rolph had done last night or tried to do? How could she ever have doubted William’s love for her when he had told her how precious it was to him? She was ashamed of the way she had acted and no longer felt that she was even worthy of him. When she didn’t deny it immediately he went on ‘I am leaving tomorrow', he said sadly. ‘I once asked you if you would come and have dinner with me, at least let me cook for you before I go?’ he asked her solemnly. 

‘William… you’re gonna have to give me some time, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed’ she said, unable to meet his eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie has to confront her own guilt, questioning and justify her feelings as she deals with more confronting news and an unexpected confrontation with a loved one.
> 
> My salutations go to Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris.
> 
> William of course has all my admiration and affection, he is mine.

Her head was spinning, her neck throbbed and she felt sick to the stomach with remorse and regret. She wasn’t thinking straight, she just couldn’t think rationally.  
She couldn’t think when she was this close to William and she had so much to think about. William had asked her if she loved Rolph, she asked herself the same question. She had gone out with Rolph on the rebound, her heart shattered by what she saw as William’s betrayal of her with Lorena. She had been sick with grief at the thought of William being with Lorena and that he was ‘not the man you think he is’ that’s what Lorena had taunted her with. She had fallen for Lorena’s cruel dupe. She had never been so in love with anyone before she met William and she had felt like a piece of her had died when she thought of their relationship as just a sham. 

Rolph, she thought, had been kind to her. It had taken a lot to overcome her initial feelings of mistrust for him, to actually let herself care just a little and he had seemed so convincing that he had her welfare at heart. Then last night, when she was struggling to fight him off, she felt betrayed once again. It was just too much. She didn’t love Rolph but she couldn’t tell William why, that he had very nearly raped her, that she could still feel his hands clawing at her, that she had felt dirty and used. She couldn’t tell him that, she didn’t even want to think of him or speak Rolph’s name. 

If she told him it would be too much for him to deal with after all the pain that he had been through. She had just seen the way he reacted when he thought that Rolph may have hurt her. No, she couldn’t tell him the truth, she had already hurt him enough. Just as William had kept silent to protect her from Lorena, she battled to keep her emotions under control when asked if she loved Rolph. She couldn’t bear to see yet more pain in William’s eyes and she did not even want to contemplate what may happen if William knew about last night and challenged Rolph. She knew now just how devious and dangerous he was. Even though it was tearing her apart, she kept silent.

She looked down at Bill’s grave, the image of his face and his eyes crystal clear in her mind and then she looked at William. ‘To love I find is no hard task and love for love is all I ask’ came floating through her mind. She could feel Bill’s presence reaching out to her from the shadows. She could hear William speaking the words Caroline had embroidered with so much care that Bill had lovingly carried and protected the small flimsy piece of cloth into battle with him and then, it was with him at the end of his human life, the last link to a love that could never be again. That was all she had ever wanted, to give and receive love back. She wanted William so much but how could she ever expect him to feel the same way about her now, after what he saw as her betrayal with Rolph.

William was leaving and she was losing him, she deserved no better she thought sadly. ‘I’ll see you tonight’ she was just able to get the words out before she turned away, walking down the narrow path of the cemetery, her heart aching, tears coursing down her cheeks that she refused to let him see. If she stayed she would be begging him not to leave and she knew she wasn’t worthy of him. She left William standing forlornly looking after her.

‘Sookie honey is that you?’ Adele called hearing the front door close as she was coming out of the kitchen wiping the flour off her hands. ‘I’m making us some late lunch. You must be hungry child, you ran out of here so fast that you didn’t even have breakfast this morning’ she said. ‘I’m not all that hungry Gran’ she replied. ‘Oh by the way Rolph called. He sounded upset and I’m sorry honey, but he was getting annoyed when I said I didn’t know where you were.’ 

Adele hesitated as she looked at her. She could see how unhappy she was, that she had been crying and her heart was just breaking for her. ‘What is it child, did you and Rolph have an argument last night after the meeting. I could see that he was not happy that William was there? Won’t you tell me what’s going on in your heart?’ she said as she sat down opposite her on the old chintz covered sofa. ‘Oh Grans’ she cried as she burst into tears, covering her eyes.

Adele hugged her to her, rocking her back and forth, comforting her just as she had done when she was a little girl and she had lost her parents and her heart was shattered. Shuddering sobs wracked through her as all the events of the past months flooded back. Bill her dark lover, the life he had lost and the new one he had been forced into, Eric and his lies and intimidation and Rolph and his duplicity and his desire to have what he wanted, when he wanted it without really caring at all for her.

Then there was William. She did love William; she loved him as she had never thought it possible to love someone. She didn’t love Rolph and she never had. She had been grateful for what he had done for her but that does not mean that what she felt for him was love. And besides, right from the start she had felt there was something cold, calculating and controlling about him and now, now that she knew the truth about what he had done to William and tried to do to her, she hated him for it.

She felt like she had been so betrayed, Rolph had wanted her from the start but he also wanted to get even with William, she knew that now, how perfect for him. Why didn’t she listen to her instincts? From the moment she had felt him watching her she had been uncomfortable but her vulnerability after Lorena’s revelation had left her wide open to anyone showing her a bit of kindness. Now she could see clearly. William’s reactions to Lorena’s presence and words that she so wrongly mistook as confirmation of his love for Lorena, were simply his attempt to protect her. She had been so unfair to him. 

Today, why hadn’t she told him how she felt? Why had she hesitated, he didn’t deserve that but she just couldn’t tell him about last night, she had bought it on herself and did not want to burden him with even more angst and confrontation with Rolph. The guilt she was feeling as his account had unfolded had engulfed her, leaving her in turmoil and speechless. She kept hearing his words over and over in her mind ‘is that why you haven’t been near me all these weeks, why you have just tossed me aside and gone to him, to Rolph?’ He had spoken of his guilt when he had no need to, but as for her, she knew that she had to account for her actions. How do you tell the love of your life that you have been a fool and beg them not to leave, without any hope they will understand, let alone forgive you? 

Hadn’t she felt that day in his car so long ago now, when he first told her of the death of his family, such an overwhelming sense of heartbreak and regret coming from him. Why had she been so quick to believe Lorena and Rolph without finding out the truth? She had ruined everything and hurt the one person in the entire world that deserved it the least. She was losing him, he was leaving and that was what she deserved, she could see it no other way. 

It was a good while before she could regain her composure enough to recount everything that had happened. Adele sat listening without interrupting. When she had finally cried herself out, Adele felt it was time for some truths. ‘Sookie, do you love William, I mean do you really love William? Do you love him enough to trust him completely child?’ she asked. 

‘Yes, I love him so much that I can’t bear the thought of how hurt he must be. I would give anything Gran, anything to undo that hurt’ she said passionately ‘And I trust him completely, I know now just how much I do and how foolish I was not to have seen it before.’ ‘Then Sookie there is your answer. Go to him tonight and tell him what you have told me. If William is the man that I think he is he will forgive you, if he hasn’t already. He loves you child and it seems to me that you are the only one that doesn’t realise just how much.’

Later in the afternoon Bud Dearborn and Andy Bellefluer arrived to speak to her. They assured her their call was a courtesy to her, not wanting to alarm her. ‘Sookie, we have some news for you and wanted to come here to tell you so that you wouldn’t hear it from anyone else,’ Bud said uncomfortably, unable to look at her. ‘Bud what is it?’ she questioned alarmed, her first thoughts flying to William and fearful that some how Lorena was involved. ‘Well Sookie it’s like this, I know that you are close to Dr Ericsson and all’ ‘Rolph? What’s going on Bud, please just spit it out.’ ‘We’ve arrested him Sookie. He’s been charged with aiding and abetting for his part in helping Lorena escape from the UK.’ 

‘It seems that he had been lying to the police investigation into the accident that killed William Compton’s family. He had helped get her out of the country and has been in contact with her ever since. It appears that he has been supporting her in the hopes that at some stage she would resume their umm… relationship Sookie and their research, he still thinks that it is not too late as far as that goes. The UK police had their suspicions but could not prove anything until the… umm recent events, when Lorena was apprehended. Even though she is not a stable or reliable witness her testimony, along with his own admission to William that he had contacted her, plus since then he has confessed his involvement, well it’s enough to put him behind bars for quite a while. I am sorry to be the one to tell you Sookie’ he finished.

She thanked them for coming and while they would not have understood, she felt nothing but relief that Rolph would not be around to harm her. She realised that he must have called her after his arrest but she did not feel anything other than a sense of closure now that he was away from her and could not hurt either her or William. With both Rolph and Lorena no longer able to do them any harm she thought to herself, if only William could find it in him to forgive her, but it was too much for her to hope for.

As she began to get ready to go to William’s Jason arrived. She heard the unmistakable sound of his pick-up in the drive way and wondered what he was doing there as Jessica and Jason weren’t expected there for dinner that night. She heard the front door slam then Jason’s rushed footsteps as he flew up the hall stairs before flinging the door to her room open without even knocking. She had been in the middle of brushing her hair and stopped in shock, brush mid air when she saw Jason’s face.

‘Sis, I love you but you are the most stupid woman I know! What the hell is going on in that head of yours, have you lost your mind?’ he ranted, his face red with anger. ‘Jason what…’ but he didn’t let her get the words out of her mouth. ‘Sook, I have sat back and watched while you have strutted around town with that lame arse creep Rolph but this is just too much. You do know don’t you that William is leaving tomorrow, he’s going Sook and it’s for good and it’s all your fault? I don’t know what the hell you have done to him but I do know one thing, he is the best thing that has ever happened to you and you are never going to find in that moron Rolph, what you have in William.’

‘Have you lost your brains?’ Jason continued his rant unabated. ‘Do you have any idea, any idea at all how much William has gone through in his life? Did you know that his wife and children were killed in a car accident Sookie? Yes a car accident, just like you had. He told me that last night at the meeting. What do you think that would have done to him stopping for a car accident and seeing you there hurt, covered in blood, having to pull you out of the wreckage? What kind of memories do you think that would have bought back to him? You owe him everything Sookie, he saved you, not just once but twice and this is how you repay him, with Rolph? I can’t believe you, I just really can’t.’

‘You know that it took all of Jessica’s persuasion to keep me from coming after you last night. When that creep practically dragged you out of the hall I couldn’t believe that you let him get away with it. Are you serious girl, just what is going on in that head of yours that you would prefer Rolph to William?’ Jason was livid and stood so close to Sookie that she was almost frightened by his outburst. They had argued before god knows, but this was different. They had never in their entire adult life interfered in either one’s personal relationships, well apart from Jason’s recent outburst over William that is, but even that was nothing compared to this. Oh yes, Jason had been protective of her and sometimes overly protective but this, Sookie was just shocked. She had never seen him this upset about anything in her life.

‘I’m warning you now Sookie, if you let William go then don’t expect an invite to our wedding, not as long as you are with Rolph. I don’t like him and I don’t trust him and neither does Jessica. Jess saw what he did to Pam and it wasn’t pretty. Did you know that the whole time that Pam was going out with him she thought that he was cheating on her and that was even before you came on the scene. Pam used to walk in on him having phone conversations that he would suddenly hang up on, like he was doing something or talking to someone he shouldn’t be. And you know something else? She questioned him once and what did the jerk do? He hit her Sookie, that’s your precious Rolph for you. He’s a woman basher. Is that the kind of man that you want to be around Sookie? Is it?’ Jason was yelling at her.

‘Jason, that is enough’ Adele stood in the doorway. ‘Leave Sookie be, it’s not for you to interfere in your sister’s business’ she scolded. ‘But Gran, William is leaving and he doesn’t deserve this. He is such a top guy’ Jason said frustrated now by what he saw as Adele’s indifference to William’s plight. ‘Jason, leave Sookie and I alone for a moment. Go down stairs now please and I will be down in a minute’ she said to calm him down. ‘But Gran…’ ‘Jason go down stairs now, this minute. You know you are not too old for me to take to you and I will if you don’t listen to me boy, I am the elder here’ she said sternly.

What was it that Grans had just said, something about being the elder? Her mind flashed back to a different confrontation with Jason over a man but this time it had been her dark lover Bill as he had sat politely listening to Gran and answering her questions. Jason and Tara had been there and both had displayed an open hostility towards Bill. She could not place the details but she remembered the feeling and she could hear Bill saying that he was the oldest in the house before he took her hand and lead her outside. 

They had walked under the moonlight on their first ever stroll together. She remembered him talking about the effects of his blood would have on her and her extreme embarrassment and unacknowledged thrill when he had said that she would experience certain side effects. With a shock she suddenly recalled what she had said to him after his admission ‘You will have to give me a little time….I am feeling a little overwhelmed’ and she could still see the look on Bill’s face of patience and understanding.

How could it be that she had used those exact same words today only this time it was at Bill’s grave and she had spoken them to William? She remembered that the walk had led them to Bill’s house and they had stood on his lawn looking at each other, the moment seeming to last an eternity before he had said so tentatively ‘Take you clip out’ his words questioning and unsure of himself. She could see his face, so seductive and alluring and once again she could feel that first kiss, sending shivers through her at the memory of it. The flash of that moment was forever engraved on her memory but with a huge effort she fought to bring her self back to the reality of her situation as she stood there watching Adele and Jason’s confrontation.

Looking flustered Jason left the room but not without one more really hard look at Sookie and a passing shot, ‘Don’t be a fool Sookie, you are throwing something real special away for nothing.’ ‘Sookie honey…’ Adele went to comfort her. ‘It’s all right Grans, Jason is right and it is no more than I deserved’ she said regretfully. ‘Sookie, Jason does not know the whole story and it was wrong of him to talk to you like that but he is only saying those things because your brother cares for you so much and he cares for William too. I have never seen Jason take such a shine to anyone like he has to William, not even when he was a little boy. He is not really a man’s man, he prefers a woman’s company, other than Hoyt of course, but that is different, they have practically grown up together.’

‘But Jason is your brother and he thinks that he knows best for you. Sookie you have to do what you have to do. Only you know what is in your heart, follow it where ever it leads you and be true to it child’ she kissed her cheek and left the room to sort things out with Jason. 

I will follow my heart Gran Sookie thought, but I am hoping that it’s not too late and I only hope that William can find it in him to follow his heart too.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sookie finally learns the truth about Bill and William. 
> 
> Thanks as usual to that genius Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris, who bought to life a southern gentleman vampire that walked into our lives and changed everything, along with Sookie and all the rest of the Bon Temps inhabitants.
> 
> William of course is mine and mine only and always will be mine.

Dusk had finally fallen when Sookie left to walk to Williams. Before she had left the phone had rung and it was Sam. She was surprised as he had not rung her for quite a while and she wondered what he could be ringing her for. She hoped that nothing had happened to Tara or the baby. The last time she had seen Tara was that night at Merlottes when William had been there with Portia and she had been there with Rolph. She cringed now when she thought of her behaviour that night and how much that would have hurt. She had to admit that she had hoped to achieve that very aim at the time but now, it tore her apart to think of what that must have done to him.

She thought of the look on Tara’s face as she was leaving with Rolph that night and even though Tara was loyal and had never said a word in the way of criticism of her, she didn’t have to, Sookie knew just from the look on her face that she was worried for her and sad, but she had paid no mind at the time. Now Sam was on the phone and Sookie felt bad that she hadn’t bothered to give her a call to see how she was and to reassure her that every thing was all right even though, right now, it wasn’t and may never be again.

‘Sam what is it, is everything all right? Is Tara all right?’ she said concerned. ‘Sook I have a bit of bad news and before you go on, Tara is fine I’m not calling about her’ Sam said in his calming voice. Sam had always managed to keep a cool head when talking to her, he just had that kind of a relationship with her and if things had been different they really would have been suited to each other but that’s not always the way things work out. You can’t help who you fall in love with and although she did love Sam it wasn’t that all consuming, head over heals, breath taking kind of love that she felt for William she had to admit to her self. But she did love Sam like a brother and that meant a lot to her.

‘What is it Sam, what’s the matter?’ she asked him, with Tara alright she couldn’t even guess what was worrying him. ‘Sookie I’m sorry honey but Rolph has been arrested’ he said breaking it to her as easy a he could. ‘How did you find that out Sam?’ she asked sounding more annoyed than upset, much to Sam’s surprise. ‘Well Sookie it’s like this, Rolph came in here today looking for you and I have to tell you, I was a little surprised. I guess that he thought that maybe you might be with Tara so he came here. I’m sorry Sookie but I had to get a bit rough with him as he was bad mouthing to Tara. She doesn’t need that right now not with the twins on the way.’ ‘Twins! Are you kidding me Sam? That’s just wonderful. I can’t believe it, when did you find out? Oh Sam, I am so sorry I should have called Tara to see how she was and I am really sorry that I haven’t been a better friend to her, I promise you I will make it up to her.’

‘But Sam I interrupted, you said Rolph was arrested, what happened?’ she asked. ‘Well like I said Sookie, Rolph was getting rough with Tara and when I told him to knock it off he didn’t like it so, Terry being Terry, he gave his cousin Andy a call. Bud and Andy had apparently been looking for him so it didn’t take them too long to get here and well, they arrested him. Sookie honey, tell me that you are all right? What’s going on, are you in some kind of trouble? Is there anything that I can do to help you, you know that Tara and I care about you.’ he said worried.

‘Sam, I really don’t want to talk about this right now but I am okay and I promise you that I am not in any trouble, well not the kind of trouble that you are thinking of,’ she ended under her breath. ‘Well, all right Sookie if you say so, but please just remember that Tara and I are always here for you if you ever need anything. And Sook, I hope that you don’t think that I am sticking my nose in where it has no business, this was just a friend calling out of concern for you, that’s all’ he said with sincerity. ‘Sam I know that and I thank you for it. You know that you are like a brother to me and Tara, well Tara and I are like sisters. Oh and Sam, I haven’t told you before but I consider it an honour that you would think of me to be a godmother for your baby or I should say babies. We’ll talk again soon I promise and I will explain everything okay, but right now I have to go.’

She hung up feeling a lot better than she had all day. Although she felt terrible that she had not spoken to Tara for a while, and normally she would be the first to share any important news like having twins for instance, she knew that Tara had Sam now and with the babies coming they would take priority over her friendship but at the same time she felt bad that she had been so involved with her own dramas that she hadn’t really spared a thought for her friend. Well things were going to change, starting from tonight she thought. I just have to start taking control of my life, with or without William but I am sure hoping that it’s going to be with him.

As she walked through the cemetery on her way to Williams, as passer-by glimpsing quickly through the trees from a distance, may have mistaken her for a ghost or some fairy creature dressed as she was in her long white dress. She had bought it on a whim and never worn it. She did not know why she had bought it but somehow, as soon as she had seen it, she had the feeling that she was meant to have it, even though it was an extravagance and not at all to her normal taste. 

It was long and flowing and entirely unsuitable for just about any occasion she could think of however, tonight when she had been trying to decide what to wear, she had suddenly remembered it, there hanging in the back of her wardrobe still carefully covered in the plastic she had protected it with from the time she had bought it home. She was drawn to it just as she had been that long time ago when she had bought it, thinking whimsically at the time that she would look back remembering that moment just as she did tonight. It was perfect.

As she entered the small wrought iron gate and came through the trees onto William’s lawn, she saw him. He was there standing on his porch, her dark lover Bill. He had felt her before he had even seen her, her blood coursing through his veins from when he had licked her wound after the Rattrays attack, his eyes shining sapphire blue in the moonlight, searching for her and finding her. She began running to him, wanting him to sweep her into his arms and take her. He had felt her pulse quicken and he too had run to meet her, locking her to his cool lips as he swept her up and carried her into the house. 

Gently he sat her down on the rug in front of the fireplace, the feeling of déjà vu swirling around in her mind. Slowly now, he began to brush her with his lips, kissing her lips, her face and gradually running his cool tongue down her neck to the spot near her shoulder that was so sensitive and sensual, making her pulse quicken and flooding her senses. She slowly unbuttoned Bill’s shirt as he reached around unhooking the back of her long white dress lying in folds on the rug around her. Tenderly kissing her as her dress slid down from her shoulders to reveal her breasts, he cupped his hands behind her back to support her as he laid her down. Still kissing softly, she moved her hands inside his shirt and slid it off. Bill undid the button of his jeans and quickly unzipped and took them off.

He laid kissing and exploring her, their eyes never off each other for one moment. He began slowly and deliberately rocking into her, his arousal pressing against her thigh making her groan with need, the tenderness and care he was feeling for her and she for him, only exacerbating the eroticism of the moment. 

The soft snick of Bill’s fangs clicking into place sent waves of desire through her. She had seen his fangs the night they kissed under the moonlight when his embarrassment had caused him to turn away from her, unable to face her as his true self. She had seen his fangs beared when faced with Lorena’s challenge to his and her safety but now, in the intimacy of this moment, when she saw his fangs, she was enthralled. Bill sighed and hung his head but Sookie, feeling his humiliation, looked at him with reassurance. Gently lifting her body to meet his needs, she guided him into her, the touch of her hands sending shivers through him and making him moan.

I have never loved, nor will I ever love, as I have loved you.

She walked through the small wrought iron gate and out of the trees to stand momentarily on William’s lawn. It had been weeks since she had been there, not since that day Lorena had changed everything. In that time the house had changed. It no longer looked forlorn and unkempt. She was surprised to see how stately it now stood in its newly landscaped garden. It had a richness to it now, some what like a small plantation house whose master was relatively well to do and spared no expense, taking pride in his home. As she walked up to the front door she noticed that gone was the flaking paint, replaced by a new shiny coat of rich colour, the brass door knocker gleaming brightly. 

She recalled the first time she had come here with William, the shabby paint, the sad neglected atmosphere, as if it had been waiting to be woken from a dream that had lasted too long. She remembered the feeling she had walking into the hallway and turning to see the lounge room with its fireplace and the realisation she had been made love to in front of it. She felt Bill’s strong arms around her as he held her and took her and she could feel the soft brush of William’s warm sensuous lips when they sat on the sofa and first kissed. She loved this house and she loved the two men in it. 

As she knocked on the door, for one fleeting moment she had a mixture of apprehension and excitement, the apprehension was the memory of Lorena, the excitement was of seeing William. Her heart raced at the anticipation of being with him again but she didn’t know if he would forgive her and she wanted his forgiveness more than anything in the world. So she stood there waiting for him. She could hear her heart beating in her ears she was so nervous. He had said this would be his way of saying goodbye but she couldn’t even think of that now. All she could think of was seeing him and telling him how sorry she was for hurting him and begging for his forgiveness.

When William opened the big old double doors Sookie was bathed in a warm glow, her eyes drawn past him to a line of tiny twinkling perfumed candles winding the way throughout the newly decorated hallway and leading up the stairs. It was magic, like a pathway leading her into the unknown. William stood looking at her and as their eyes met she knew that she did not need to say anything. Without even realising it, she was in his arms, entwined with each other, their lips locked, frantic to both love each other and forgive.

‘I’m sorry, I am so sorry’ she was almost pleading to him with all her heart, ‘Forgive me, just please say you will forgive me. William you mean everything to me, please…please don’t leave me.’ ‘Shh…’ he shushed her, gently putting his finger to her lips to quieten her, then bending over her, he was kissing her again, willing to forgive her and willing her to forget the hurts and miseries they had both been through. Carrying her up the stairs while still kissing, William gently laid her down on the big old ornate bed before lying beside her, wrapping his arms around her, calming and soothing her. 

They lay on their sides facing each other staring into the others eyes. The nearness of each other was unbearable, she could feel the heat of Williams’s body through her flimsy dress. With trembling fingers she began to slowly undo the buttons on his shirt, reaching down to ease it out of his pants, softly brushing him as she pulled his shirt out from the waist band. Unable to stop himself William moaned softly. She pushed his shirt aside as she ran her fingers through the soft downy hair on his chest. She could feel his heart beating as she touched his skin, his heart was racing as much as hers. 

Reaching down under the folds of her dress his hand delicately caressed her thigh where it had been hurt, sending shivers up and down her. Just as gently, he leaned down and did what he had been aching to do for so long, he softly brushed the scar on her inner thigh with his lips, as if to take any remaining hurt away. She groaned with pleasure at the feeling of his lips on her leg. He pulled away and once again found her mouth, passionately probing and exploring with his tongue, all the while his hand continued up her thigh to lightly stroke her hips then firmly, he pulled her into him. 

She fumbled with the button on his jeans before finally undoing it, clumsily unzipping him. She could feel his hardness, making her need all the more urgent. William reached up and undid the buttons at the back of her gown, sliding the soft fabric down over her silky tanned body, the feel of her skin so soft and warm. With his beautiful hands he cupped her breasts to his mouth kissing first one then the other, softly flicking her tight nipples with his tongue until she moaned, before once again finding her mouth with his. 

Rolling over quickly William stood and took off his jeans. She audibly gasped as he stood there naked, the sight of him, with his beautiful body wanting her so much and just so ready to take her, she quickly slipped her dress off from around her legs and then took off her lace panties. William moved onto the bed and began to kiss her, this time slowly teasing her, touching her and building the tension until gently sliding his leg between hers he rolled her onto her back as he swung on top, to take her. Softly thrusting against her with his hardness, he looked at her with questioning eyes. ‘Now?’ was all she said.

He was just as tender as she thought he would be but they were both trembling, their breath coming in short pants. He had said to her that he had wanted it to be perfect for her and for him, and it was. The room was lit with a warm light from the tiny fragrant candles that William had so carefully arranged, the soft glow and subtle perfume filling their already heightened senses with an overpowering feeling of sensuality and expectation. 

As gently as he could in his painfully aroused state, William entered her and she gasped again with pleasure. She was no virgin but tonight with William she felt she was, the waiting and the anticipation for them both had been so excruciating that now finally, with their bodies moulded together, they were unable to contain themselves. 

I have been lost and you bought me back to life.

Bill’s thrusts increased as their desire for each other built, then just as they reached their peak, looking him in the eyes Sookie simply said ‘Do it, I want you to,’ and Bill, unable to hold his darkness at bay any longer, sank his fangs into the vein pulsing in her neck. That was when she finally knew, she saw it all, she remembered her other life with him in a flash of realisation, she remembered it all, every single moment. She was Sookie Stackhouse and she was a waitress and he was Bill, Vampire Bill.

Sookie and William were both moaning, total abandonment to the moment flooded through them as they frantically discovered the pleasure of each other’s bodies. Sookie begging for William to fill her and William in turn responding with harder and deeper thrusts until neither one could hold back the moment any longer and both reached their peaks together in a blinding and breath taking moment of unity. Soaring together as one being, one grand and beautiful love, they were locked in a kiss of passion, love and commitment to each other, now and always.

Sookee

Sookie 

‘Sookie, honey wake up.’ William’s soft voice was drifting through her sleep. ‘Honey you’re having a dream,’ he said gently cradling her in his arms. ‘You were groaning loud enough to wake the dead,’ he said holding her tightly. ‘Bill I had the strangest dream. You were in it but it was all different, you were English and there was someone else in it too that was just like you but he was a Vam…..’ She was interrupted at that moment. 

‘Mommy Mommy what’s wrong,’ two little voices called, as Billy Jr and Caroline came running into the bedroom with scared little faces. Billy the older of the two and the spitting image of William with his dark chocolate coloured hair and its auburn sun kissed streaks, and little Caroline with her blonde hair and William’s stunning sapphire coloured eyes, stood by the edge of the bed frightened. ‘It’s all right babies, Mommy was just having a silly old dream,’ she said smiling to give reassurance. 

‘Come on’ William said patting the huge bed and gesturing ‘jump in.’ The children, squealing with delight, hopped under the covers of the big old carved bed that had been in the Compton family for generations. ‘How about after we finish milking the cows we have breakfast and then we walk over and pay a visit with Great Gran Adele,’ he said smiling as he turned to Sookie. She was smiling now at the sight of her little family group snuggling up in the safety of their bed and sighed.

‘Happy?’ He looked at her with a smile creasing the corners of his mouth, making his blue eyes sparkle. ‘How could I be anything but happy with you?’ she said contently. ‘I love you William Compton,’ she said. ‘And I love you too Sookie Compton,’ he softly replied, gently kissing her, her eyes glancing across the room to the ancient bureau in the corner and falling on the small tarnished old miniature she has always treasured, her dark lover watching the familiar family scene, and she smiled.

Finis………

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have taken the time to read and especially who have left comments.
> 
> I am really grateful for any feedback, it helps enormously. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the story and fell a little in love with Bill, Sookie and William. 
> 
> At the time of writing this I did write an alternate ending that has never been published, if there is enough interest one day who knows, I might just publish it.


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the final scenes of True Blood are filming right now it is time to say a final goodbye to this story. Written in 2011 and never before publicly published, this is the final instalment of Nothing But the Truth. 
> 
> Some of the characters contained within are based loosely on True Blood and my overwhelming thanks go to HBO, Alan Ball, Charlaine Harris and all the cast and crew that have made the seven seasons of the show and the books, such a joyous, frustrating, engulfing, life changing and engulfing ride. No copy right infringement is intended.
> 
> The character of William is mine and mine only.

‘Happy?’ he asked as looked at her with a smile creasing the corners of his mouth, making his blue eyes sparkle. ‘How could I be anything but happy with you?’ she said contently. ‘I love you William Compton,’ she said. ‘And I love you too Sookie Compton,’ he softly replied, gently kissing her, her eyes glancing across the room to the ancient bureau in the corner and falling on the small tarnished old miniature she has always treasured, her dark lover watching the familiar family scene and she smiled.

‘Cut, that’s a wrap everybody!’ ‘Woo hoo!’ The camera crew cheered and everyone on the set shook hands as the final scene was in the can, the final shot being a close up of the small miniature with its portrait of Bill. Billy Jr and Sarah’s minders came in to take them off the set and the rest of the crew began milling around. ‘Everybody, can I have your attention for just a moment, William, Sookie if you could give me a moment too?’ The director was smiling his usual wicked smile that generally meant he had something up his sleeve that he was highly amused by.

William and Sookie got out of the big carved bed that was used on the set for the Compton house bedroom scenes and gave each other a peck on the cheek. ‘That was well done Sook,’ William said smiling. ‘Thanks William,’ she grinned. ‘Those kids, I thought they would never be able to get their lines straight but it worked out well in the end,’ she laughed. ‘Billy Jr is going to be brilliant when he gets older and Sarah is a little honey, she has so much talent,’ Sookie enthused before they both turned their attention to the director. 

‘Before you all head off for the end of season after party I just wanted to say that it would be in your best interest to make sure you turn up. Apart from the fact that it’s going to be a blast, I will be making a special announcement that I think you will all be interested in,’ he chuckled. ‘So I expect to see you all there tonight at seven, that gives you all a bit of time to put your fancy duds on and get cleaned up and get over there, so let’s get going folks.’

‘I’ll see you over there Sook,’ William said. ‘Sure thing,’ she replied as she hurried off to her dressing room. She was going to have to get the make-up girls to give her a quick touch up and as her hairdresser was really adapt at working wonders in as short amount of time as possible, that meant that she had just enough time to have a quick hand held shower to freshen up before getting dressed. Thank god she had already had an out fit picked that she could just slip right into as soon as she got out of the shower, she was thinking. 

William on the other hand didn’t have to worry about make-up so he jumped straight under the shower before changing into his favourite pair of faded pale jeans, blue shirt that made his eyes pop, throwing an old navy sweat shirt over his shoulder in case it turned cold later and left. 

As usual, there was a group of fans waiting outside the studio gates for him and as usual he stopped to sign autographs and have photos taken of him with the fans. He was still bewildered by all the attention that he caused and getting back in his car was shaking his head unable to come to terms with his new found popularity. The adoring fans just loved it. He was so modest and they all found his embarrassment to be remarkably cute along with his British accent, his auburn hair and stunning blue eyes, he was everything thinking woman’s dream but he just couldn’t believe that. There was only one woman that he wanted to feel like that about him and smiling he drove off thinking of her. 

The crew had wasted no time and high tailed it over to the party to get into the swing of things early so by the time the cast started arriving a celebratory atmosphere was really kicking in. First to arrive out of the main cast was Jason of course escorting Jessica and a chorus of wolf whistles went up. Their arrival was closely followed by Pam and Portia, the newest couple to ‘come out’ in public and they were the darlings of the gay set. 

Sam arrived, quickly escorting a heavily pregnant Tara to a seat where, with great difficulty, she manoeuvred herself into a comfortable position, her unexpected pregnancy with twins being written in to the story to cover her ever expanding girth and to cover her absence from the story line. She had suffered severely from morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy so her role in the story had to be tweaked to cover the times she couldn’t make it to the set but never the less, everyone bar none was over the moon for her, none more than Sam of course who had always wanted children. 

Lorena arrived with Lafeyette in tow. They were so quiet and unassuming, so totally different to their story characters that it was a while before anyone had realised they were there and it wasn’t until they were spotted by the ever jovial Jason and dragged over to where Jason and Jessica continued a heated debate about whether Rolph should have ultimately tried to kill William or not in an attempt to get Sookie, that they came out of their shell a little and entered heatedly into the debate.

At that moment Sookie herself arrived with Rolph of course. They had met on set and become a couple, both being totally inspired by the others ability to pull off such hard roles. Rolph copped a pasting from various members of the crew for his story treatment of Sookie and there was much ribbing and leg pulling as they made their way over to join the others, Sookie adding to the hilarity when she pointed out that there had been nothing funny about being squashed to pieces in the mock up front seat of a car by a big oaf like Rolph before standing on tip toes to give him a kiss. 

Much to everyone’s surprise Bill and Caroline with Billy Jr and Sarah arrived en famille. Everyone simply adored Bill and were enamoured by his performance. All the crew found him simply mesmerising when he had a scene and the other cast members quite often would make it a point to be around whenever Bill was there. He held the story together and watching him was just such a delight to everyone.

The ‘Director’ arrived and it was fitting that he escorted Adele, who had become everyone’s Gran. Her experience influenced all those in and out of the story and was admired by all. She had something to her that was comfortable and gracious and her words of wisdom were greatly valued by one and all. At some stage, there wasn’t a single one of them that hadn’t sat down to have a chat with her for whatever reason and she talked to them all without hesitation, she was just so sweet to everyone that they all loved her.

Finally William arrived with his partner come collaborator and it was evident for all to see that he was just as much in love off screen as his character had portrayed on screen. During the course of filming he had fallen and fallen hard and there wasn’t one single person present at the gathering, male or female, that was not in awe of the couple as they made their way through the crowd. The love that they had for each other was something palpable and tangible. The men in the crowd were gob smacked and the woman jealous but all of them were truly happy for him because he was such a joy to work with and be around. He had made the whole experience of the shoot something that was very special and there was not one single person on the whole lot that had a bad word to say about him and these days, that was saying something. 

Making their way over to where Jason was giving Rolf hell for his onset behaviour, William soon had everyone in stitches recounting that while shooting the scene in the cemetery out on location he had stood on an ant nest and while trying to look so sincere in such a serious moment he had actually had ants crawling up the inside of his pants legs. His remembrances bought a flood of nostalgia out in everyone and one by one they all had a tale to recount of some particular scene that had been funny or difficult or emotional to film. 

‘Well at least you didn’t get squashed under this big oaf,’ Sook exclaimed poking Rolf in the ribs. ‘You try being pinned to a car seat underneath this hulk.’ ‘Oh come on, you loved it, you know that you did,’ Rolf chided back grinning, ‘and anyway I had a really bad cramp in my foot for the whole time we were shooting and I stoically managed to get by without a word.’ ‘Hah, well that would be a first wouldn’t it after the amount of griping that you normally carry on with.’ ‘What? I don’t carry on,’ Rolf protested in mock horror. Everyone was in fits of laughter after this remark. ‘Now when did I ever complain about anything?’ he asked innocently. 

Sook looked at him and shook her head. ‘Well what about the party scene?’ ‘What about it?’ he shot straight back. ‘You complained for weeks about your sore neck remember? You said that William and I had taken that long to get down the stairs and so many re shoots that you had a stiff neck from standing looking up the stairs waiting for us.’ Rolf rubbed his neck gingerly and retorted, ‘Yes and I still have.’ Hilarity ensued after this comment as Rolph stood there trying to look offended by all the comments he was receiving. 

At this point the party was now really in full swing. There was no one there that didn’t have some kind of anecdote about filming and although there was an underlying sadness at the ending of the season that remained unspoken, in general there was much laughter and leg pulling and reminiscing. With that the night was flying by. It was the last time that they would all see each other and they aimed to make the most of it but all things must come to an end and just when a few of the cast, namely Tara who was now struggling to stay awake and was getting ready to leave, the director called for the attention of everyone and the crowd quietened down to listen. 

‘Firstly, I would like to say that whatever is said here tonight remains here, we don’t want anything getting out to the press just yet,’ and here he gave a specific look to both Jason, who was known for his off beat Aussie big mouth and then William, whose quirky sense of humour had gotten him into hot water when he had leaked Jason’s penchant for tee shirts and short shorts to one of the fan based internet sites and now Jason had been inundated with offers to judge wet tee shirt competitions, much to his amusement and Jessica’s horror.

‘We are on our best behaviour,’ William called out mock crossing his heart with a beguiling smile that melted every female within a forty foot radius, including his partner’s. ‘As I was saying,’ the director went on, ‘thank you for all the hard work that you have put into this season of Nothing But the Truth. It was a long road from start to finish, right from filming the pilot and then waiting to find out if we had been picked up and would actually have a show or not, we have all come on a long journey together.’

‘I have been around this industry for a long while now but I have to say that I have never worked on a show where it is more than just a show, it is a family. You are all family to me. It has been an absolute pleasure coming to work every day. There hasn’t been one single moment of the last six months that I have regretted or lamented taking what was a great story, here he bowed to William’s partner giving due acknowledgement, and creating this crazy mixed up mad roller coaster of a show.’

There was so much applause and whistling after this statement that it took quite a while to get things quietened down again so that he could go on. ‘We love you too,’ Jason called out just as he was about to go on and of course this started more comments and much agreement amongst everyone there so it was a while longer before he could regain his composure and continue. 

‘As I was saying, this has been the best experience that I have had in my working career and I want to thank everyone but more than just that I have something to tell you all that I am hoping you will all be on board with.’ There was total silence now. You could have heard a pin drop. There was an anticipation spreading through the crowd and many quizzical looks on most faces, most faces except one. 

William had a small smile creasing his face that no one but his partner seemed to notice and seeing that she was in on it, nothing was going to surprise her. Whatever was coming it was obvious that he was in the know and so was she and they both were extremely happy about it. 

‘Okay, I would like to announce that with the ratings figures you have achieved, you have beaten even the highest rating episode of anything that has ever been screened before in the entire history of television so due to the amazing popularity of the show ,' he paused dramatically for effect while they all stood there holding their collective breath, 'the network has picked us up for another six seasons. This is just a reflection of the amazing jobs that you have all done. I want to thank you all again for your outstanding efforts and all I can finish with now is, see you all next year.’

 

******************************

Melbourne Australia 

November 2011

‘So you’ve finished?’ I hit the save button, backed up on to my external drive, closed down my folder and shut my laptop and then I looked up and smiled. ‘That’s it for what it is worth,’ I sighed with relief.

‘Honey I am so very proud of you.’ I squirmed a little with embarrassment. ‘I don’t know why, no one is ever going to read it.’ ‘Heh, you can’t say that. You just don’t know that. It’s your first ever full length fiction and you just never know what could happen babes,’ his soft voice was in my ear as he picked me up and sat me down in his lap at my battered old writing desk with its comfy chair and he gently hugged me.

His enthusiasm caught me in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes. ‘Oh come on babes,’ I choked at his totally undeserved belief in me before going on, ‘be realistic. I mean to say who in their right mind would want to read a story about a girl in back water Louisiana who has an accident then has some kind of near death experience where she had another life with vampires. That doesn’t even make sense and to top it all off it, it blends into her real life and is then turned into a TV show?’

‘I mean really be realistic William, it’s really so over the top that no one will like it let alone read it or get it. It’s all over the place and even I can’t really explain what it all means. It’s like one of those Russian dolls that has layer upon layer and the more you open the more layers you find.’ 

William looked at me with his sapphire blue eyes that never failed to glamour me and in his soft seductive British accent, the one that was just like coffee coloured silk on naked skin, he quietly said: 

‘You don’t need to explain it ... after all, it's all magic.’ 

And it was. 

 

Finis … really the Finis … well, never say never!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last thing…
> 
> Personal thanks go to those who have read and left comments on various sites now and above all to those of you who have enjoyed this story. 
> 
> To those very special Moya Tragics from BWW whose 27 pages of comments and conversations were some of the most fun I have ever had in my life, my William would agree with me too if he could. 
> 
> You know who you are and I am lucky enough to say that some of you have become friends from across the cyberspace way and shared so much more than just a story, you have shared your life with me. 
> 
> I thank you whole heartedly for the journey you have come along with me on and wish you all nothing but happy ever after endings. 
> 
> After all, it’s all magic isn’t it.


End file.
